


Lost Eden

by Bluelovesleep, PuppetOfShadows



Series: Lost Eden [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Character Development, Death, Demon Hunters, Demons, Dystopian, Explicit Language, Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Gen, Horror, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mental Health Issues, Mystery, Original Character(s), Paranormal, Supernatural - Freeform, Survival Horror, Thriller, Twins, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:08:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluelovesleep/pseuds/Bluelovesleep, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuppetOfShadows/pseuds/PuppetOfShadows
Summary: The Dark Night.An event many wish to erase from their memory.Since then, half of the country was wiped in less than ten years by cannibalistic creatures.The ones that survived found themselves fighting every night for a chance of retrieving what they lost. However, all boarders were closed  and the rest of the world declared the British Isles as dangerous, erasing the hopes of getting help from fellow countries.Along with the massacre, a society of knowledgeable  individuals rose from the shadows, calling themselves Hunters, promising answers and sworn to protect humankind from this not so new threat.Alexis and Krista are  twins, only two of the unfortunate orphans that lived under the same roof. Their safety and everything they know is put at stake when the orphanage is attacked and they meet Isis, a young girl who could become the key that would open the gates to their lost paradise.Or be the reason for it's destruction.
Series: Lost Eden [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767760





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains strong, dark and serious themes such as torture, incest, death, extreme violence, mental instability and sexual harassment. There will be many moments of description of violence and gore. If you don't like such things, read the book at your own risk.
> 
> Additionally, some of the characters have views and opinions that some of you might find incorrect or disturbing, but these are not meant to reflect my own view according to a certain matter. I just want the characters to be as diverse as possible.
> 
> English isn't my first language so, beforehand, I apologize if any mistakes are found during your reading. If so, please let me know, so I can correct them.
> 
> As some may know, I am finally posting this story after a long period of changes so that it could match my view. I have a few chapters ready, however I'll post the first once I have around seven or ten chapters fully written because I don't want to keep anyone waiting for chapters.
> 
> I hope you enjoy your journey through this story.

Life was so much peaceful 10 years ago. Children could play outside while their parents talked with one another until the sky darkened. The elders could safely walk to the church while telling stories of their beloved grandchildren without having to worry about the dangers that lurked in the dark.

Life was not perfect, far from it, but waking up the next day to see the sun did not need to be considered a luxury. Many consider those days a far way paradise when compared with the current reality. 

No one knows how things changed so fast.   
No one knows where those creatures came from.   
No one knows who’s behind them or what their true objective is.   
However, everyone knows that they bring death everywhere they go.

The night that turned into the British people’s worst nightmare is now known as the “Dark Night”.

Deformed human-like beings suddenly appeared and started attacking everyone in sight. Most did not have any recognisable facial features aside from their mouth and eyes, their bodies so deformed and decaying that one could only consider them humanoids.

Whatever they were, they were dangerous. These deformed creatures were faster than a regular human was, and their jaws were eager to bite whoever dared to cross their path.

On that night, the screams of the unfortunate plagued the streets, and the corpses left behind were the only proof that it was not a sick nightmare. Silence only settled once the sun rose. The ones who remained inside their homes and weren’t invaded were the only survivors.

Even if no creatures were in sight, the panic from the previous night hadn’t died. Only the bravest went to the streets to see if their loved ones that were missing were among the mangled bodies.

Most were there. Some weren’t. No trace of these missing corpses would be left behind if an old man hadn’t voiced his testimony.

“I saw it. I saw a man get bitten by two of those things. He fell, and I thought he had died, but then he started shaking and screaming more than before! It was horrifying. His skin was melting and his flesh swelled.” The elder had told the authorities as soon as they arrived “Then, I noticed it happening to most of the people who got bitten, but they would stop moving. This man didn’t! He got up, started attacking other people and, once he was done, he followed the other monsters!”

No one wanted to believe his words; they thought him to go mad. They preferred to believe that their missing loved ones were eaten rather than becoming one of those things. They soon were forced to see it was the truth.

On that very day, organised groups of people that said to have answers appeared in the affected cities. They present themselves as part of a society that had been looking for and fighting those creatures for generations, a society that had been kept secret until then. They called themselves Hunters.

The Hunters vowed to protect the citizens, to support them in their time of need, as long as their members were allowed to move freely and a set of rules were implemented in the whole country.  
No one listened to them and the attacks repeated that night, at a lower scale but still deadly.

Terrified, the citizens started pressuring their leaders to contact the Hunters. It didn’t take long for new laws to ensue.  
A curfew was only the first one. Normal citizens were forbidden from roaming the streets after the sirens sounded; their safety would not be prioritized in case of an attack.  
The hunters soon became the authority that everyone followed, hoping to get to live another day.

Listening to the hunter’s daily transmissions by radio or television became a norm. At least some questions were answered during those speeches. It was obvious that most information was confidential but now they know much more than the name “monsters” to associate with the creatures.  
The Hunter’s leader, Isaac Byfield, was the one to give the people the little information that was known. 

The so-called monsters were the lowest rank of the “Immortals”, a group of individuals that had been living in hiding since the eighteenth century and had expanded far enough to create a hierarchy.   
They couldn’t be considered humans anymore as they didn’t age nor died of natural causes. 

Their leader titled himself as “Night King”, a name fitting for a man with the mentality of the century the Immortals were first created. As far as it was known, he was the only one to ever be the leader and every other member followed his every word as law.

Then there were the Pioneers, his most trusted families and the ones that he allowed to hold the most power out those under him. It seemed that the Pioneers were able to control the lowest class at their free will as long as their King granted them the ability.

Those without importance but still were part of what could be seen as a horrendous cult were called “Followers”. Regular people with no special worth in their hierarchy. They could even be considered slaves.

At last, there were the “Runners”: humans that had survived whatever transformation seemed to happen whenever an Immortal bit them. They would become deformed mindless puppets, their flesh stuck at a permanent rotting state and their bodies most of the time unrecognizable. They were used as a weapon, their numbers gradually increasing as they could turn other humans into Runners, that is, if the venom injected in them when bitten wasn’t enough to kill them.

What was believed to be the worst was that while Runners were easily spotted and couldn’t survive in daylight, the other ranks retained their human appearance. Some lower Pioneers had even been caught during the day among normal people, trying to recruit new members to their cult.

The United Kingdom was considered doomed as the attacks continued. This new threat to humanity was wiping lives at an alarming rate and the future couldn’t be more uncertain.

Countries closed their borders to stop Pioneers from entering their territories, wanting to contain them as one individual could bring devastation on their own. However, it proved to be too late and the leaders of the United Kingdom’s neighbouring countries had to raise walls that closed off the coastal cities from all the others.

No one knew exactly why the Immortals were so desperately trying to turn over the UK nor wanting to spread to other countries, but one thing many were sure.

The Night King was looking for something and wouldn’t stop until he had his hands on it.


	2. Chapter One

February started cold yet the earth was graced by the bright sunrays that tried to peek amidst the dark grey clouds, a clear sign that it would rain later that day. However, said light was not enough to lift the gloomy aura that surrounded the large building that was hidden by the trees. As it had always been for the last six years and a half, the two oldest orphans of that sad place were directing the children from their usual classes with the priests to the courtyard. Two young boys were quick to race towards the hen house, more than ready to frighten the poor chickens, while the oldest of the orphans unsuccessfully tried to call out to them.

Her twin sister laughed, rolling her cerulean blue eyes at the boys' antics and her sister's failed attempts. A little girl around the age of ten, with round cheeks and a skin that resembled chocolate, was in her arms. The girl's brown eyes drifted away from the chickens that scared her a little too much as she played with the oldest light brown, loose curls. The young child chuckled every time she pulled one down and released it. It amused her how it behaved like a spring.

The light brunette sat down in one of the dried benches, her attention shifting from her older twin sister to the little girls that came to her, asking her to style their hairs. She accepted with a defeated sigh. Although she loved playing with the little girls, she had a strong hatred towards styling hairs, mostly because she believed that she did a poorly job in comparison to her sister.

From afar, an old woman watched the twins as they took care of the young ones and her lips slowly formed a smile. It was a bitter one, as her superior was demanding her to act and force the two girls out of the orphanage. They had completed eighteen years two months prior and were in the legal age for them to leave the care of the orphanage and face the terrifying world. The woman, however, could not bring herself to do so. Instead, she made a deal with them: they would work for the orphanage to earn their stay, and the two girls accepted it. The decision was taken the previous week and they had been following the demands as their own religion. They would prepare the young ones, make sure they are on time for the mass and then take them to their lessons. Help with the meals, clean the orphanage, watch over the children, take care of the little farm, sell and buy in the city. In times of need, they were also expected to hunt in the forest. Then there was bath time and putting the young ones to sleep.

Even though they did everything that was on the list and more, it was not enough to satisfy the woman that ran the orphanage. She was beautiful, but that was the only thing that could help her. Beauty... besides it her heart was rotten. Many children nicknamed her "Evil Queen". It was fitting. She was nowhere as much as the creatures, but evil nonetheless. Her eyes were green and sharp, her skin was as dark as an olive. Her aura was scary and her voice terrifyingly deep from a woman. Some children said she was a witch since she had a black cat she loved a lot. A young boy would say it made no sense. He had a black cat and yet no one in his family could control magic or cast spells, was his argument. He would then go on and compare the woman to a Tasmanian devil, beautiful yet frightening.

The old woman kept observing the two sisters, waiting for one the girls to notice her standing by the door. She recalled the day she found them alone and starving close to this small village. They were almost twelve and it was Christmas day. The woman was returning from visiting an old man whose daughter had recently passed away after having been bitten by a Pioneer when she saw the two girls curled up in a single ball, inside a church, sharing their warmth. She remembered comparing that moment to simple times, when it was normal to find kittens in the same situation. As she did use to do with the poor kittens, she took the girls to the orphanage. They were burning with a fever and had been lucky to be alive in such hard weather.

It took a long year from them to warm up to the woman. The youngest twin was the first, which came to a shock to her sibling. It started with their names and age. For a year, they had been called "Sugar" and "Cinnamon" due to their different hair colour, something they did comment was bothersome, but they could not trust them enough to tell anything about them.

Alexis is the oldest one, she was "Sugar" for that year. She has long tight blonde curls that reach the end of her back. The youngest twist is Krista, nicknamed "Cinnamon". She has loose light brown curls that go past her waist and a lovely set of freckles on her nose. Both girls have an oval face shape with rosy, round cheeks, small and delicate nose, thin, cherry coloured lips and an ivory skin. They were almost the same height, with Alexis being slightly taller and much skinnier than her counterpart.

The old woman understood that the girls were different and certainly lived in their own world. They had had many appointments with psychologists and they all came to the same conclusion: they were intelligent young girls who had a very strict education. Eventually, her worries dissipated when she saw the two girls finally opening to everyone and studying. Exiting her thoughts, she waved at Krista when the brunette's round cerulean eyes landed on her figure. The old woman signed to her that it was time to check the rabbits to which Krista nodded in understanding.

As the children were happily playing hide and seek, Alexis and Krista took their time to feed the rabbits, being followed by their partners in crime, Melanie and Tommy, as is usual. The boy showed his gaped smile towards the girls as he started to pet one of the black rabbits and laughing at a memory of his. Melanie followed the boy, not that she knew the reason to his chuckles but because he had a funny laugh. Loud, clear and with some snores in the middle.

"I remembered something!" he said between laughs.

The dark-haired boy stopped laughing to clean the tears of joy that left his eyes and took a deep breath. "When I got Mr. Oreo, my older brother wanted to play with him. Everyone had already played with the bunny except for my brother and a few seconds after he started to pet Mr. Oreo, it peed on him. He... he looked like this!" the little boy did his best to mimic the exact reaction his older brother did at the time.

"Were his ears red?" Krista asked, looking over from the bunnies to the hysterical young boy.

"Really red! Like the roses on those bushes! The ones I 'accidentally' destroyed last year because of the fairies!"

Alexis stood up and placed her hands in her hips in an authoritarian fashion. Her face showed how incredulous she was at the sudden revelation of Tommy. The boy who always said that he admired his brother for telling the truth was also the king of mischief. Tommy enjoyed pranking and scaring everyone, especially poor and quiet Melanie, who feared her own shadow. Most of his games ended up with him being grounded and forced to help cleaning the kitchen.

The rose incident ended up being one of his not so funny pranks. He wanted everyone to believe that some fairies were the cause for the chickens and rabbits wandering freely on the courtyard. The supposedly magical creatures felt terrible for the poor animals and wanted to set them free. It turned out that his good plan, of letting the animals free, ended up with him destroying the rose bush Alexis' deeply cared for and the orphanage having a scarcity of food to both sell and eat. He was grounded, and later pranked Melanie with some ghost story.

"Come on! Everybody knows the truth by now!" the boy exclaimed.

"Why don't you try to be more like your brother?" Melanie asked with a thin voice. "I don't think you are funny. The thorns can be dangerous."

"Because I want to be myself!" he sang happily. "My brother could never make anyone laugh as much as I do. I am amazing. Besides, he's dead."

Alexis scolded the boy, who just showed them a mobster smile and ran off towards his friends. The blonde laid her head on her sister's shoulder in a silent cry for help.

Melanie sighed deeply and observed the black rabbit that had been in Thomas' lap. The girl extended a dark hand in the direction of the little animal and began to stroke its fur while laughing lowly with Alexis' words of frustration about Tommy's attitudes.

The three girls finished their task around the time they had to get ready for lunch. Their chores for the day had only started. Alexis and Krista had to clean the kitchen and the mess hall. Later, while Alexis went to the city to get more food for the rest of the week, Krista remained in the orphanage to clean the rooms and make sure the children did their schoolwork. As usual, their day went smoothly and when Alexis returned their last duty began.

The sun was slowly giving place to the moon and at 5 P.M, the loud siren echoed around the country six times.

One: Collect everything you have outside.

Two: Check if your loved ones are home.

Three: Close the doors.

Four: Close the windows.

Five: Block them with wood or metal.

Six: Double-check everything.

For the past year, many orphanages had been attacked, mostly in big areas, as the villages are known for having mostly old people who had little to offer to those creatures. The reason is still unknown but Alexis always returned from the city with interesting theories about it. Some believe that the real enemy are the Hunters, others that the creatures are searching for something and will not rest until they get to their goal.

The twins high-fived when they were finished and then hugged each other, muttering the same words her mother would always say to them whenever they felt scared or just needed some words of encouragement. Take cover.

They walked to their usual table on the mess hall, it was not time for dinner yet but after the siren announced them to return to safety for the seventh time, a news broadcast would start on the old television, or radio if someone could not afford anything fancier. Most people owned radios and were painfully aware of how ancient their technology was.

The borders had been closed for almost twelve years. Only Hunters are allowed to leave the country for work purposes and they own most of the recent technology. Hunters own and control everything. Well, almost. The southern region of the country is controlled by those creatures and they are slowly trying to come north and expand to the rest of Europe.

Five notes, a signal of attention. The Hunter's crest flickered on the television and the dark skinned middle-aged man known as Isaac Byfield appeared on the screen. For what? To announce the death count of last night. Another orphanage, a few walking days away, was destroyed, with some of its members being burned to the ground to avoid any possible transformation. The possibility of one dying is greater than them being transformed. The venom is said to be lethal to 90% of humans.

Even if you are lucky, what happens next is terrifying. Being alive with a beating heart and breathing but not owning any control over one's body nor being conscious. It is like turning into a puppet, an ugly one. Body slowly deteriorating, skin changing to a blue hue, the eyes become yellow while their teeth get sharper and longer. Most die before completing the transformation.

Why is it dangerous then? Most countries shrug it off saying it is nothing worth showing concern for. That it was a mere scientific experiment gone wrong. However, there is a lot more of them, stronger and their human appearance left intact. They can even walk among normal people without raising suspicion. There are even lunatics who claim that they are the next step in human evolution.

Isaac Byfield smiled to those who could watch him as he said that Hunters were doing everything that was in their power to keep everyone safe but, as there is always one, the death counts were getting bigger and they were expecting a big drop in the population, their call for external help once again denied. It seemed like the other countries declared the "Cannibalistic Epidemic" happening in the United Kingdom and Ireland as a loss fight. Which meant, that no one would risk themselves to help thousands. It seemed somewhat reasonable. No one would like to see their neighbour ripping the flesh of their father.

Krista yawned and placed her head on the table, waiting for the middle-aged man to stop talking so they could shut the television off and return to their usual activities. While the nuns prepared food, it was time to shower every kid while there was still hot water with the help of one of the older kids, Elliot, and pray that she and her sister had the chance to go to sleep after a hopefully slightly warm shower.

After that task, dinner was served. As usual, the twins sat with Melanie and Tommy. While most children on the orphanage had arrived at the sad place with someone they knew, Melanie and Tommy were the exact opposite.

Tommy said that his family was attacked during the night in their home. His mother managed to take him to a church with his two younger sisters. However, when the mother left to get their older son, the two girls followed her and Tommy was the only one who survived. Melanie's parents were murdered as they tried to escape from one of the creatures. While it was busy, the little girl had to run until she met with two hunters who took her to the orphanage.

The mischievous boy smiled at Alexis as he caught her shoving some more pieces of chicken meat on her twin's plate. He knew Krista would get mad when she noticed and it was always funny to see the brunette mad. She resembled an angry cat.

When the brunette took a glance at her plate and then at her sister, Tommy and Melanie could not stop themselves and started to laugh. Alexis had explained to them that Krista had been a weak child and Alexis had to properly feed her and protect her even if she was no longer weak. That was her task as the older sibling.

"Alex, stop!" Krista exclaimed. "You barely ate the whole day! You'll end up getting sick."

"I'm fine, Kris!" Alexis smiled. "There's no way I'll get sick. Anyway, it's almost time to go to bed."

When dinner came to an end, the nuns collected the used dishes while the twins made sure the children were tucked in their beds and sound asleep. Then, the two girls returned to their rooms on the girl's floor, the last left door on the end of the hallway. Alexis sat on her bed while she watched her sister humming and braiding her hair.

The blonde took notice of their necklaces sitting on top of their bedside table. They were made of golden silver and with two strings; one smaller that was around the neck like a choker, and the other longer that had a little transparent bottle. On the small string, Alexis had a sun pendant and Krista had a moon pendant, both had engraved what they believed to be a protection symbol that their mother had taught them. Krista saw as it as something stupid, whereas Alexis had become an expert at carving and drawing it anywhere in their bedroom. The small bottles were meant to have a mixture of flowers and herbs. However, during winter it was hard to get them. Most of Alexis' attempts at growing rosemary during winter failed, not even indoors. It just could not resist the cold and the same would happen with basil, the only difference being that it only grows during summer. Getting wild violets was easy, they grow almost everywhere, especially around the orphanage, and they are edible which is a bonus when food is scarce.

"You need to stop thinking about it." Krista said. "Mother was obsessed. Nothing in flowers and herbs can keep you safe. Not even that symbol." She pointed towards the countless carvings on the door. "Those are runes. Something Vikings used to write. Far from protecting us."

"They've been working. I've been doing them since that night."

"We were lucky. You also acted on instinct." Krista shrugged. "Don't forget that tomorrow they want you to leave early to the village. Get those papers the Hunters want us to fill."

The brunette laid down on her right and closed her eyes, catching a glimpse of her sister silently thanking her for reminding her and wishing Krista luck to fill all the papers. The owner of the orphanage cared little to nothing about any formal matters she had to do, mostly giving all the paperwork to a nun and, more recently, to Krista. The woman would say that the brunette has a beautiful and neat handwriting, which is why she preferred her to fill most papers, while Alexis had a sloppier writing.

"Kris..." Alexis called, after a few moments of silence.

The blonde crawled on her twin sister's bed and hugged her, asking in a calm voice. "Can you sing me to sleep?"


	3. Chapter Two

It was raining that morning and because of that, Alexis' tasks had been postponed for when it stops, which also meant that she would take twice the time to return to the orphanage. Not completely safe but she knew she had to return before the loud siren began, especially since she also has to help her sister with the young kids. Due to the storm, the classes for the children had been cancelled for the day and even though they were ecstatic, the twins couldn't share the same level of happiness.

Krista woke up earlier than Alexis. The brunette wanted to finish filling the papers the Hunters gave to Alexis, which were meant for the owner of the orphanage, as soon as she could. It's not like filling those blanks spaces about 35 children, four nuns and the evil woman would be easy. She barely knew the adults' names, except for Tanya, the woman that took them under her wing and treated the twins as their own. While Krista spent her morning alone writing in a closed room, Alexis was with the kids in the main room.

The main room was on the first floor, it serves both as a library and as recess whenever the weather was harsh. Mostly, Alexis would have Krista help her with the children. While Krista stood in a corner playing the piano with some of the kids, Alexis would try to come up with fun games or even a story. Most of her stories ended up being the same ones their mother used to tell them as they grew up. Alexis knew all of them by heart, while Krista decided to erase them completely from her memory. Same with most of the melodies her father taught her. Most of the time she would claim that she couldn't remember them but it was far from being true; Alexis had heard her humming some of those melodies whenever she was focused in doing something or just bored as they went hunting.

Alexis sat in the middle of the room and, with a loud voice, she managed to get the attention of all the children. A first, she thought. Usually, it would take more than a call and she would even have to chase after the most rebellious ones. This time, they sat still, ready to listen to another one of Alexis' stories.

It was a tale about two young siblings who had an encounter with a scary giant wolf in a crystal forest. The two were forced into the path to destroy an evil sorcerer who wanted to rule the Land and had to face many hardships in order to succeed. When their adventure is complete and the evil is defeated, the two siblings saw the wolf one last time. The wolf thanked them, allowing them to take anything they wanted from the crystal forest before showing them the way home.

Tanya entered the room at the end of the story, announcing that the children were allowed to leave for the courtyard as it had stopped raining a long time ago and that she wanted to talk privately with Alexis. With the promise of meeting them later, the children left the room offering the privacy they needed.

"What is it?"

"I'm doing my best to keep both of you safe. However, she wants the two of you out. She keeps saying that you're occupying another children's space and I can't deny and state that it isn't true."

Alexis frowned at Tanya's words. It was sad to hear such a thing but she and her sister had nowhere to go.

"I'm not saying that I want you and Krista out. In fact, I am completely against it. I still see the two of you as the two little girls that I rescued on that Christmas day. I tried to convince her to give you two a room in our small house but she said that she cannot allow that."

"Because Krista and I show no interest in your beliefs?" the blonde asked, seeing the woman nod. "She needs us! We do all the hard work she doesn't want to and we do it for free. I remembered when she decided to fire most of the workers because Krista and I showed enough capacities to do the hard job."

Tanya laughed, watching Alexis with her pair of warm brown eyes. "But so will Louis, one day. That was her answer."

Louis. It wasn't surprising that the woman forgot who Louis was. He was three years younger than Alexis and Krista, he also had lung cancer. He died before getting to his fifteenth birthday, the same day the daughter and husband of the owner of the orphanage were attacked. That was also the day she changed for worse. The woman used to be nice and did her job as decently as she could. At that time, she had objectives: protect children who were alone in the world and be a good role model for her daughter. However, when the two died, she became unbearable and lost all her will to continue.

"I should be going. Tell Krista that I left." The woman nodded as she watched the blonde twin abandon her in the room.

The old woman followed Alexis' steps a little bit later, this time to check on the youngest of the twins. Right as she was about to open the door, Krista had turned the handle and showed a big bright smile. The woman completely forgot about the brunette's amazing hearing. Krista would often complaint about how loud Tanya's steps were, how Ulrich, a man who usually comes to fix broken things, sounds more like the angry gallop of a horse and how the owner of the orphanage drags her feet on the floor.

Krista invited the woman in the office and while the brunette counted the papers for a last time, Tanya warned her of Alexis' departure to the village. With a sigh of relief, Krista handed her the papers and stretched her arms high in the air.

"I wrote your last name on Alexis' and mine's file." The brunette said. "I know my sister won't like it but you basically adopted us, even though she doesn't like to admit it."

"It's so interesting how differently you see me. I'm more of a friend to Alexis and more like family to you." Tanya spoke. "Not a mother, but close enough."

"I only consider some as a family, like Melanie and Tommy. They are family. The others are nice kids and unlucky ones. I like them, but Melanie and Tommy are different, they are special. Innocent yet fully aware of the danger." Krista smiled, her eyes shifting to the old wall clock. "It's almost time to listen to Isaac."

The two left the small office and went to the mess hall, where the residents of the orphanage were all reunited to see the man pop up in the small television for the morning announcements. There was always the notification of another failed call for help. Maybe this time he would say that the United Kingdom was finally declared as a loss cause and they would be left to fend for themselves.

Krista has always been waiting for the last one. She and Alexis had a plan if that ever came to happen. They know that the fishermen on the coastal areas work everyday to get fresh fish to sell or even for their families and they would be dumb not to use their small boats to try to get to France. Alexis has befriended one or two during the days she left to the city. The plan was to escape with them and bring Melanie and Tommy along. It would be almost suicidal, since some of the creatures managed to flee to the north of France, but they were mostly contained there. The government was smart enough to build a tall wall to keep their population safe until sun came and the abominations melted with the sunlight. It was enough proof that it was not an experiment gone wrong and something that would dissipate in a matter of years. Almost eleven have passed and they still are around.

The man appeared on the television once the Hunter's crest stopped flickering. He showed a very worried and tired expression as his eyes shifted from the paper in hands to someone on his left and hidden from the camera. His voice boomed in Krista's ears as he said that the hunters who had been patrolling the fence, one built to separate the areas that were taken by the creatures and the "slightly" safe one, were found dead in the morning, some going through the transformation. He then added that a new team of Hunters would be stationed on the fence again.

Krista heard Melanie and Tommy's quick steps as the two came towards her worried. The brown skinned girl hugged Krista's waist asking if the creatures would get to them, to which Krista answered that they would be dead by now, which made the two children relax a bit.

Sun killed them, even if the sky was cloudy. The simple existence of its light was enough. It was also hard to get the same weapons the Hunters own. Theirs kill those creatures more efficiently than something one can get from the kitchen cabinet. Silver worked, it was enough to cause them some pain, but even if you aimed to the heart, it will not kill them. Hunter's use weapons made by combining crystals that reflect the light and some of them proved to be hard to find.

The brunette twin petted the top of Melanie's head and quietly asked the two if they wanted to check how the rabbits were doing, to which the two young kids replied with a loud and cheerful "yes". They readily left the mess room, even though it was against the rules to simply ignore Isaac Byfield as he spoke on the television, and went straight to the courtyard.

Melanie's hand was locked with Krista's while Tommy had sprinted towards the little animals more than ready to challenge himself to pet every single one at the same time. Most of the time he would lay down on the dirt and allow the fluffy animals to do whatever they wanted as long as he had one or two giving him attention, which was not hard. Most animals seemed to love him. Krista helped Melanie feed the rabbits while Tommy played with some. Then, the brunette allowed the two kids to play hide and seek for a little while.

The rest of the day went as calm as usual, a representative of the Hunter's came to collect the papers Krista had filled before leaving to Cheshire to give them to Isaac Byfield, with the excuse of searching for someone important to the Hunters. They tend to explain little to nothing about their association, which is not helpful if they want the population to trust them or give them any credibility. What is known is that they have existed for twelve generations and only those who are Hunters were aware of the existence of the creatures they love to call Immortals.

They seem to know more than they show, which seems a bit suspicious, and suddenly the hypothesis of those things being created on a mishap in a laboratory starts seeming reasonable. It could even explain how the Hunters seem to be stronger and much more agile than a regular human. However, they affirm that their origins are far more complicated and that they would explain it one day. Except that it has been almost eleven years and that day never came.

When Alexis returned from her day in the village, she came with her little cart filled with exchanged goods, mostly food that could extend for the rest of the week, and the ingredients needed to make the flower and herb mixture for the necklaces. She tends to get most of the fruits and herbs from an old man that lives in a village four hours away, close to the border of Yorkshire and the Humber and North West. She says that he is a nice old man and most of the times just offers her some of the things he has instead of exchanging for a rabbit or a chicken. Most people would want something in return and stealing is even common. Alexis and Krista spent a year stealing and sleeping inside churches, which was not a rare sight. Most people would get angry to see a "filthy underfed rat" trying to find something to eat, but not that man. Alexis said that he was one of the kindest people she had met.

The twins closed the doors and the windows as the siren echoed outside, then turned to the mess hall in time to hear Isaac saying that Hunters would be patrolling that night because of the events that had happened. They believe that some creatures might have passed to the safe side and that they could be hiding in dark places protected from the sun.

After dinner, they were all sent to their rooms earlier, something the nuns always do whenever a group of creatures manages to break into the safe zone. Most of the orphans believed that they did it so, in case they were attacked, the creatures could kill them during their sleep. Which made sense to them, they would be the most vulnerable while sleeping and, in most cases, wouldn't even hear what was happening.

Alexis and Krista were done checking if all the children were asleep in their rooms, so they returned to theirs only to find two surprises there. Tommy and Melanie were there, already dressed in their pyjamas and two backpacks ready. The two young kids looked over at the twins with scared eyes as they observed their movements.

"What are the two of you doing here?" Alexis asked with a quiet voice, not wanting to further frighten them.

"They are scared." Krista pointed. "Is it because of what Isaac Byfield said?"

Tommy and Melanie nodded their head twice. "A lot of orphanages have been attacked and we don't know how many entered the safe zone." Tommy said.

Alexis sat on her bed and hugged the young boy, while Melanie embraced Krista.

"We shouldn't worry." Alexis said. "We are protected and Hunters will be running around. I saw one when we were closing the gates." She showed a big smile.

The two kids nodded once again their heads at the blonde's words and then asked if they could sleep in their room to which the two sisters allowed. Melanie curled into a ball on Krista's bed while Tommy did the same on Alexis'.

Krista started to sing a French lullaby while she petted the top of Melanie's head. Meanwhile, Alexis worked in making the mixture to their necklaces. The brunette stopped singing when she heard the light snores coming from both Tommy and Melanie, listening then to her sister laughing lowly.

"You reminded me of father." The blonde whispered. "He loved to sing that song to make us fall asleep" she handed Krista her necklace.

"It's relaxing and they needed it. Also, they don't understand the lyrics." The brunette pointed.

"I don't think that would be a problem. They are aware that their parents won't come for them." Alexis shrugged. "We should sleep, tomorrow is another day."

The blonde got up from her seat and walked towards her bed, noticing later that Krista was still close to the window and peeking out. The brunette could hear the steps of the Hunters walking back and forth and their voices talking about "the next in line" and other things related to their society.

"You should sleep" Alexis advised.

Krista nodded twice and walked towards her bed, trying to lay in a comfortable position. She rolled her eyes at the noise the hunters were making and closed her eyes for a few seconds, only to open them again and sit straight up on the mattress at the sound of gunshots, glass shattering on the floor below and, seconds later, the warning siren of the orphanage going off.


	4. Chapter Three

Alexis sat up straight, her eyes roaming from the closed windows back to her sister and the two young kids on the room. Tommy woke up frightened by the noise while Melanie was still sound asleep, unbothered by all the commotion. The blonde twin asked her sister to wake the girl up and so she did. At the same time, Tanya opened the door of their room, sighing in relief upon seeing both Tommy and Melanie safe. 

The woman threw them one of the children’s everyday outfit, demanding the twins to get their things ready as the ground floor was under attack and the Hunters were trying to get more people to help them with the creatures. After being fully dressed, Tanya gave Melanie and Tommy a backpack each that contained their belongings and, as she waited for the twins to get ready, she stuffed their clothing in a bag, shoving it later in Krista’s hands.

Tanya then told them to leave the room and follow the route that went straight towards the ladder so that they could escape. The orphanage was an old Victorian building modernized to become an orphanage thirteen years prior to the big catastrophe many call the Dark Night. The ladder, which lead directly to the back yard and towards the abandoned industrial area, was the most recent addition, only there waiting for this precise night to come.

When they left the room, the owner of the orphanage was already by the ladder counting if all the children were there. When she stopped on thirty, she sighed and her eyes stopped at the staircase, listening to the painful screams of those who were left behind. She shook her head and proceeded to tell the orphans what they had to do.

Tommy held Alexis hand tightly, as he tried to hide the fear he was feeling behind a confident and stiff posture. By his left side was Melanie with shocked, big red eyes ready to cry at any moment.

The owner of the orphanage gave each children a small glass bottle with a transparent liquid on it. No one had to ask what it was as the woman was quick to answer. However, her next words only made the twins chuckle, annoyed at the woman’s stupidity and how naïve she was. Holy water, the woman said, proceeding to explain that they just needed to throw the bottle to those creatures and pray while doing so.

Alexis bit her tongue. Praying would serve them nothing when they were the chosen orphanage to be attacked that night. The warnings were clear and she knew her sister was right every time she said that they had to leave with Tommy and Melanie before something could happen. Her cerulean eyes searched for her sister, trying to show her that everything would turn out fine. If anything, everything would turn out fine for the two of them. At the moment, Alexis could only focus on her twin’s safety.

The sound of gunshots could be heard, a clear indication that the Hunters had been fighting all along. The problem was that they were not ready to face the number of creatures they met with.

Tanya was quietly praying, no sound, only her lips moved forming the words in a quick rhythm as they moved closer and closer to the ladder.

Once they were outside, they were met with a chaotic scene. The runners were already there, their disfigured features moving, others slithering quickly to find a new prey. Their lifeless eyes, focusing on each newfound piece of meat showing a particular interest on the youngest ones, especially the girls. On cue, three of them attacked a ten-year-old blonde girl, which caused the rest of the residents to run as fast as they could towards the big gates of the orphanage.

Alexis and Krista, with a tight grip on Tommy and Mel’s hands, ran towards the old abandoned factory. The twins believed they could find safety there, even if it meant passing through an electrical fence that was turned on most of the time or even encountering some of those creatures. They had planned many escape routes if the orphanage ever was attacked.

Tanya also followed them, a few crying orphans were right behind them, loudly pleading for help and others way too hurt or exhausted to keep moving forward.

“Wait!” Tommy screamed, freeing his hand from Alexis grip and running back to where Tanya was.

The mismatched eyed boy tried to help the woman by taking a three-year-old on his back and quickly running towards Alexis, Krista and Melanie. He was a fast runner but not as fast as the creatures who in a matter of seconds placed themselves in from of the young boy and Tanya blocking their path towards the twins.

Melanie cried the boy’s name in a hoarse voice, the tears she was securing finally left her eyes. Alexis had to grab her hand for the girl to accompany them and completely forget that there was no way to save both Tanya and Tommy.

They stopped running when they were close to the electrical fence. Krista took in a deep breath and tried to focus her attention to check if the electricity was turned on or not. After a few seconds, she concluded that they could not pass through that area without suffering any of the consequences. Therefore, Alexis took a sharp silver knife from her bag and got ready to use it if needed. Both twins knew they had to get to the village as soon as possible and get inside one of the churches, and so they did. Krista carried Melanie on her back, the girl’s state would only hinder them and make them lose their precious time. 

They took a shortcut. The twins knew how to walk on the forest and knew that there was a shortcut that lead directly towards the bakery. However, it was late and the creatures could appear from anywhere.

A loud and deafening scream echoed on their ears. Tt came from the bakery. Alexis and Krista stopped moving, only taking in the sound of the night. The hoot of howls, the sound of the wind, Melanie’s sobs and the old couple begging for mercy. The girls were trying to stay hidden, while their eyes remained focused on what was happening inside the bakery.

The old woman held her young granddaughter in her arms, covering the girl’s eyes as one of the creatures devoured the face of the baker. Krista gasped at the sight of the man that fought with the woman. She knew he had to be one of those cult members and so did Alexis when the man looked straight to them, demanding the runners to get them, stating that he could sense an interesting smell.

The twins quickly resumed their running, leaving the place at the same time as the granddaughter of the bakers cries of pain echoed. They were finally in the village but they still had to run towards the church, as they knew they could spend the rest of the night safe there. The Hunters would check for survivors in the morning and would take them to a new home, or, as people say, they will kill the survivors to make sure no one turns into one of those creatures.

Running on the streets was slowly becoming a hard task as it began to be filled with dead bodies and the big cars the Hunters used to get to their locations.

Krista was running right behind her sister. Having to carry both Melanie and the bag that had the twins’ belongings made her slower and it showed how dangerous it was when one of the creatures grabbed Melanie by the hair and pulled her towards him. Krista’s breath was stuck when she felt her body move back due to the force the creature was using and the fact that Melanie’s arms were around her neck to prevent her from an ugly fall.

Krista was in shock at the sight of a human looking creature holding Melanie tight to their body. She looked like a female, a beautiful woman with bloody hands rather than the decaying runners they are used to see. However, by her side was definitely a runner. Maybe a young man, he was securing her waiting for an answer from their superior.

The woman took a deep breath, smelling Melanie’s neck, only to leave a sigh of pure delight and sinking her teeth on Melanie’s shoulder. 

“Mel!” Krista yelled as she saw the woman throwing Melanie’s body on the floor and shrugged, as if the girl was not the right meal she wanted, and then muttered to the runner that he was allowed to attack Krista.

Alexis stopped running at her sister's voice. Her blue eyes saw the creature slowly getting ready to sink their teeth on Krista’s nape and then Melanie’s twitching body by her sister’s left. She saw the woman turn her back and torment another young girl as she let the runner to open their mouth wide open, ready to sink the sharp teeth on Krista’s nape. As her sister winced in pain by the strength of its claws, Alexis ran back towards her twin and jumped on the creature, using her silver knife to stab the its neck time and time again until it was almost possible to just kick it off. She threw the body of the runner on the ground and used the back of her hand to dry the sweat off her forehead.

Alexis knelled by her sister and began petting her hair, taking notice of Krista’s ripped winter jacket and her bloody face. The blonde then hugged her sister and closed her eyes releasing a breath she did not knew she was holding when Krista moved her arms to embrace her Alexis.

“I’m sorry. Kris. I’m so fucking sorry.” Alexis’ words were muffled by her sister’s shoulders.

Krista opened her eyes and looked around on the poorly illuminated street. She saw the creature twitching on one side and Melanie’s still body on the other. A pool of crimson red liquid continued forming under Melanie’s shoulder. Krista tried to focus her hearing in order to listen for any signs of Melanie breathing, but nothing came.

Alexis helped Krista to stand up and then hugged her twin once more when she caught glimpse of her red watery eyes and the strength she was making to control her will to cry for the little girl. Alexis placed both hands on Krista’s cheeks and forced her sister to look at her.

“I know it hurts! Tommy is gone! And it hurts!” Alexis said. Her voice was low and Krista heard it break and go up a few notes when her sister said the name of the little boy she saw as a younger brother. “You couldn’t do anything! And she knew it! Bu-“

“No!” Krista screamed, shoving Alexis away with such strength that came to a shock to the blonde female. “Melanie was a child! She still had plenty of years ahead of her! I failed her! I broke our promise because I was weak and couldn’t stand up for her!” she kicked the head of the creature, out of anger, something Alexis knew Krista would never do if she was in her normal self.

“Krista!” the blonde called, grabbing her sister’s arms and fanning her. “You’re weak and vulnerable! Remember what father said! Feelings make you weak, and now is not the right time for sentiments. At least you survived!” Alexis tried to get her sister back to her senses, but to an outsider she only came up as rude. “And I am so glad it was you!” she smiled and tried to hug her twin, but the brunette dodged her attempt.

“Selfish” Krista muttered.

Taking a last look at Melanie’s body, Krista collected her backpack and took Melanie’s from her body. The little girl seemed calm, with a peaceful demeanour. Something Krista could not recall ever seeing. Then, from afar, the brunette saw some creatures moving towards the village and the loud voices of hunters deciding what they should do next.

Alexis grabbed her sister’s hand and the two resumed her run towards the small church at the end of the road. Once there, they were met with the door closed and had to bang there twice for someone to open the door. When it happened, Alexis sighed in relief to see a familiar face.

The man that lived two hours away from them, and to whom she usually tends to exchange goods with, welcomed them inside the building. Close to the altar were a group of ten people: an old couple, a recently engaged one, a pregnant woman, the priest, one teenager and three children. The priest of the church was quick to come towards the twins and check them up and down.

“Bitten?” he asked.

“No. She was scratched.” Alexis answered.

The man nodded and told Krista to follow him, so someone could treat the scratch and check for signs of any wounds. In other words, make sure she was not bitten.

Alexis eyed the man of grey eyes with confusion. Why was he there? He would usually return to his house once he finished exchanging things and almost never came to the village where they were living.

“I was out of gas and came here to see if I had any luck.” He explained. “She’s my sister.” He pointed to the old lady who was cleaning the trace of her tears. “Her son died when we tried to get here.” The man sighed. “Is that your sister?”

“Yeah…” Alexis dragged. “She won’t talk to me. It’s been a long night for her.” The blonde sighed. “For all of us.” She corrected upon seeing the wounded survivors. “The orphanage was attacked. I’m not hopeful that we can ever return, Mr. David.”

David looked down, his calm inducing eyes showing a bit of sadness after learning that many children had suffered a lot in a matter of hours, and by the face of the brunette twin, he was sure that they could not return. He then noticed that only Alexis and Krista stood there, safe. The little boy Alexis managed to spend hours and hours rambling about was nowhere to be seen, not even the girl.

“Melanie died. My sister is… broken. To say the least. She loved that girl. Melanie made her feel important, she had finally met someone who needed her for protection and she feels like she failed her.” The blonde muttered.

“What about you?” David asked.

Alexis shook her head twice and laughed. “I’m beyond repair.” she muttered.


	5. Chapter Four

The next day, they woke up early. The sound of the siren announcing that they were finally free to roam around and restart their lives. The priest was the one who opened the doors, allowing the Hunters to join them and check up on the thirteen survivors that found shelter inside the small church. A thunderstorm was happening at that exact moment and the Hunters showed signs of being drenched and cold but then, relief appeared on their features upon seeing the group that managed to survive.

The group of Hunters began to inquire the survivors, asking them if they had anyone left or if they had anywhere to go. The answers were more than obvious: they had nothing, apart from David who still had a safe home to return to.

One of the Hunters could not stop eyeing the twins. Alexis was the first to notice his strange behaviour, giving emphasis to the strange stare he sent directly to their necklaces. Out of instinct Alexis, forced Krista behind her making sure the youngest was hidden from curious stares. The last time someone dared to look at them that way it did not end well for him.

When the twins were questioned where they lived, they truthfully answered that they lived in the orphanage and the Hunters scrunched their noses and eyed the twins up and down. Alexis knew what they meant: they were orphans and that there was nothing the Hunters could do to help them. It would be hard to find a new home for them. In addition, they were not minors anymore. Sure, their appearance fooled many, as they seemed younger than what they truly looked like, fifteen in minimum, being the lack of meat around their bones the main reason. However, before the two young females had the chance to open their mouths and explain that they could live on they own, Mr. David stepped forward and offered to shelter them. In a matter of minutes, they were escorted to one of the tall and large automobiles and were on their way to the small village Mr. David lived in.

It was close to Cheshire, the city where the Hunter association was born many years ago. The voyage that would take four hours by foot, was finished in one and a half hour, with them being left in front of a yellow narrow two-story house surrounded by an iron fence that was giving signs of being old due to how rusty it was. In front of the house were two leafless trees.

David, Alexis and Krista saw the Hunters abandon them in front of the house and moving full speed towards the opposite direction, not even giving the old man enough time to thank them for their generosity. Mr. David opened the door of the house for the two girls, allowing them in and telling them that he would find them a warm blanket to protect them from the cold. He returned later, accompanied by his wife and two hot mint tea mugs.

The old woman looked at the girls and, from her failed attempt at showing a smile even though she wanted to scream at her husband, the twins could tell that they weren’t welcomed, by the lady.

“This is my wife, Olivia.” David said, taking the tea from the woman’s hand a placing it right in front of the twins.

The woman seemed shocked and confused when her husband took the tea she was about to drink from her hands only to hand it to Krista. She even huffed when she heard the brunette thank the man for his gesture. Olivia stared at her husband, her head pointing slightly to the staircase as she tried to speak with him with her funny, facial expressions.

“Their orphanage was attacked. They were the only survivors, according to the Hunter.” David explained. “I can’t even express how glad I am that at least two of them were lucky enough.”

“Others deserved our place.” Krista muttered and looked at the ceiling. She could have sworn that she had heard light hurried steps. “Is there anyone else living here?” she asked, sipping her hot tea later.

Olivia paled elbowing her husband when he answered with a happy “Yes”.

“And that’s precisely the reason we can’t allow any strangers to live here” the woman spoke, crossing her arms in front of her chest and avoiding looking at the twins.

Alexis was not one to give up. She and her sister were in desperate need of a place to stay and Mr. David was willingly to offer them a roof over their heads without them needing to pay off anything. Olivia’s behaviour was only making everything harder. If she had someone she wanted to protect, Alexis also had, and nothing could be compared to the protection her sister needed.

The blonde twin sighed, her eyes changing from the couple to the young girl that came from the staircase. She was a little girl, around twelve or thirteen. She was tall and thin, one could easily see her bones. Her hair was long and ashy blonde, perfectly straight with a widows’ peak on her forehead. The young girl had a heart-shaped face with pouty lips, her eyes grey. Her entrance was not a surprise to anyone. Krista was the first to know she was coming due to her sensitive hearing while David and Olivia knew it was a matter of time until the little girl woke up.

“Who are they?” the little girl asked in a quiet voice as she sat on Olivia’s lap and began to play with the woman’s hands.

The girl avoided the twin’s eyes at all cost by looking away or covering her face with her hair.

“Isis.” David called. The girl was quick to stare at the man. “They are friends. The place they were living in was attacked and they had nowhere to go. Is there a problem if they stay with us for a couple of months?” the man asked.

Isis took the courage to eye the twins. She paid interest on the necklaces they were wearing as she could feel the strange odour invading her nostrils. The girl then showed a small smile, seeing the girls flinch slightly at the sharpness of her teeth. Isis was aware of how they seemed slightly sharper than the other children her age but they weren’t that scary, they just appeared to be.

“Don’t be scared. We came from a place with young kids like you. We took care of them.” Alexis spoke with a quiet voice, something she only pulled off with Melanie and Tommy. “I’m Alexis and this is my twin sister, Krista. Is it okay if we stay? We can help with household chores.” Her eyes fell on the old couple.

“I don’t like when someone is this close to Isis.” Olivia spoke. “Especially strangers that came from a place that was attacked. The safety of my niece is more important. It’s a no.” the woman hugged Isis protectively.

Her husband closed his eyes and placed a hand on his forehead groaning. He looked over to Isis who was smiling and chuckling at Olivia’s words.

“Papa is mad at you, Nana.” The girl said. “They can always be my big sisters.” She smiled, standing up and carefully approaching the twins while Olivia called out for Isis, not wanting her to get any closer to the strangers.

“It’s only until they find a place to stay, Liv.” David muttered, smiling at the sight of his niece playing with Krista’s hair. “You can prepare their schedule. Alexis said that they can do a little bit of everything. They can be helpful in the city and I can work on other things.”

Olivia took her husband’s hand in a firm shake, accepting his offer. Then she turned her attention on the two new females and stared at them attentively with her brown eyes.

“You can stay, but you must follow every single rule I have for you. No excuses.”

The twins nodded, their eyes now focused on what the couple had to say to them and making sure that they can remember everything that came out of their mouths. They just were not expecting the list to be that large. Certain things were obvious, like helping the couple and doing some chores for them, but the thing that confused them the most was that they were forbidden of ever talking or mentioning what happened outside. It made sense if they wanted to keep Isis sheltered and ignorant of the truth, which was bad in case something terrible were to happen.

In the end, the couple gave the remaining of the day for the twins to have a proper rest before they had to start working and find a place for them. It was decided that the girls had to follow David to the city so that he could explain to them everything about his job.

David, as the kind-hearted old man he is, made sure to help with the girl’s needs and that they knew every detail about the costumers’ tastes and a bit of their past. Alexis was quick to catch on certain details and made sure to memorize every single one. The best spot was close to an old Victorian house. No one lived there but it was right in the middle of the city, which was a key point for selling products.   
She learned about how scary the baker could be whenever someone got on his last nerve, how the Hunters try to buy as many fruits as possible before their missions and that they had to be careful with some people that use a red ribbon on their wrist. The twins asked why, but David only said that something seemed off with them.

Alexis made sure to establish new relationships that could help them in future, as well as express admiration at the skills Mr. David had when it came to bargain for certain things. She considered herself good at it, but she could not be compared to the man. Krista, however, was bored and kept staring at the Hunters that walked around or approached them during the day.

They all had the same simple uniform, all in black except for the big sage coat that had the hunter’s crest on the front, and two-coloured stripes on the cuffs of the sleeves. Each hunter had a different colour, with only a few sharing the same. It must mean that they work together. The coat also had a hood and many pockets, probably to carry small weapons, food and medicine. The sole of the dark combat boots marked their path on the dirt. Krista noticed that most of them carried tired expressions on their faces, some were even angry when the commoners questioned their credibility as protectors.

“Those hunters.” The man David and Alexis were talking to stopped their conversation to loudly address the Hunters. He clicked his tongue, showing annoyance. “They think they have what it takes to help. Bullshit. They are working for those things! I am sure of that myself! Our country is doomed. The royal house left us when this started, and later our prime minister! We were left to die, and so will the rest of the world once those things manage to conquer France.” He shook his head, chuckling. “Well, young lady, might as well consider ourselves as their meal.” The man eyed Alexis.

A woman joined them on their conversation, nodding at the man’s words. “I don’t have much faith in them. They appeared out of nowhere a few years ago, saying that they have always been around. If they weren’t capable of destroying them then, now it’s entirely impossible.”

“At least they are doing something other than complain.” Alexis spoke. “Maybe they are trying to find a cure for those who were bitten.” She shrugged.

The man smiled and placed a hand on Alexis’ shoulder, giving it two light pats. “You’re just a kid… Obviously you wouldn’t understand.” He sighed. “We are at the mercy of those things. Anyway… thanks for the oranges David.” He turned around being followed by the woman.

Alexis growled and closed her hands in fists, the nails barely piercing her skin. “You wouldn’t understand. Oh sir… You’re the one who can’t understand it.” Alexis muttered under her breath.

Krista shook her head, quickly calling out her sister for her behaviour stating that they couldn’t afford to lose Mr. David’s trust and hospitality over a mere fight.

The old man chuckled and placed a hand on Alexis' shoulder. He showed a sympathetic smile as his eyes were glued to the customer talking with the woman.

"Don't mind him. Poor Johnson lost his wife and child last year. His mind isn't in the best state." David said. "It has never been. His wife and child are safer now."

"Oh. A violent man?" the brunette asked, examining an orange.

"Unfortunately. It began when London went under attack. He lost his parents and as many others did, he started to drink even more." he stopped, his eyes falling on the youngest twin as she threw the orange in the air and caught it repeatedly. "His actions got worse, more violent and last year... well, he found his wife had an affair with another man. In the following week, two bodies were found in the forest. Proofs were lacking, so the hunters blamed the creatures."

Krista stopped. Her blue eyes fell on David as he sadly told them the story of the man.

"He's as awful as an Immortal. So is she." Krista said, being a little too blunt. She hated when people tried to fight their problems by simply running from them or requiring on alcohol and bad actions to forget them. It reminded her of her father, even if Alexis says that it was only part of Krista’s imagination.

"Kris!" her sister called out, eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm sorry" the brunette said, beginning to play with the orange once more. 

The three returned to the small house. During the small trip, David tried to engage in a conversation with the girls, questioning what they liked to do and other innocent basic things. When they arrived, Olivia was preparing dinner and Isis was placing the cutlery.

The little girl smiled when she saw them, stopping what she was doing to hug David tightly and whisper something in his ear. The man petted the top of Isis' head, playfully dishevelling her blonde hair.

"Later" he said. "Now, be a good girl and keep helping your Nana."

The little blonde-haired girl nodded, cutely jumping towards the old woman to finish helping her with setting the table. Isis muttered a soft melody during the whole time. An easy, heart-warming and delicate rhythm.

Alexis found herself joining Isis both helping set the table and muttering the melody while Krista stood in a corner in silence, her cerulean eyes scanning her surroundings. She admired Isis' innocence. The couple did an amazing work hiding her from the outside chaos and protecting her from the truth, but at what cost? They could just appear one day and kill them all and a little girl like Isis did not deserve that fate. Nor did Melanie or Tommy.

Once dinner was served, they found their seats around the table and waited as Olivia served their small and well-deserved portions of food. The twins noted the small chicken leg and the lack of vegetables on Isis food, comparing to the slightly bigger proportions of the meal they were served.

Alexis elbowed her twin and eyed her quizzically to which Krista only shrugged.

"Hum... Isis?" the older twin called for the girl. "Do you want to eat half of Krista's chicken breast?"

The little girl shook her head showing a small smile. "Nana and Papa give me a special nutrient before I go to sleep. You don't have to worry with me!"

"Interesting..." Krista muttered, her eyes landing on Olivia who seemed a bit pale. "Is that some kind of growth supplement or does she have a vitamin deficiency?" she asked.

"It's hard to explain." the woman said.

"Then..." Alexis began to cut the chicken breast and shoved half of it in Isis plate. "I hope I'm not offending anyone." she said, an eyebrow raised as she lifted her hands in defence. "Back in the orphanage the oldest orphans offered their food, or half of it, to the younger ones every time we had a shortage."

"Such noble deeds." the woman muttered. "But Isis is fine. She is as healthy as one can be due to the supplement. We have been taking care of her for ten years. We know what we have to do." she showed a smile.

"Oh! Do you have a plan in case of attack then? I would be delighted to hear about it." the blonde twin added. "I mean. Isis' safety must come first."

"It does!" David entered the conversation, slamming the cup on the table.

"Then feed her properly!" Alexis' yelled, getting up.

Krista rolled her eyes and stood up. She placed a hand on one of her sister's shoulders and quietly demanded her to behave properly, to which the blonde complied after her momentary rage began to extinguish. The brunette showed a warm smile and apologised for her twin's sudden outburst and politely added that she believed that Isis was the one who deserved a decent meal with or without the supplement.

Dinner proceeded in silence, as no one dared to speak or even compliment the cook. Krista offered to clean the dishes, stating that it was the least she could possibly do to help after the scandal her sister had caused.

Alexis helped her sister and when they finished the small easy task, the two went to the room the couple had offered them. While Krista changed to her nightwear, Alexis took out her carving knife and slowly began to carve the symbol her mother had taught them on the door, repeatedly. Krista knew she was angry because Alexis only carved it in such a mad way when she was enraged.


	6. Chapter Five

Three days passed since the orphanage was attacked. Three nights without any attacks or the mention of more survivors. Seventy-two hours without Melanie, Tommy or Tanya. The sister quickly adjusted to the new reality that they had lost three loved ones. It took Krista longer. She would still dodge Isis' questions about the young children that lived with them and she was successful most of the time by distracting the little girl with a new tune or complaining about the cold weather.

During the night, Alexis would try to cheer her sister up or even calm her down whenever she woke up frightened by one of her nightmares. Since a young child, Krista always had them. Most of them being about a giant wolf that would come to destroy everything that she knew, but the wolf was not the scary part. What was terrifying was the fact that he would lose the battle all the time. A battle she couldn't even understand its origins. Alexis would shrug it off and blame her mother for that. When they were young, she used to tell them a myth about a wolf that would come as part of the end of the world.

The sisters found themselves stuck in a strict timetable. They had to wake up at the sound of the siren, leave for the city with the little they had. Once they returned, they had to help clean the house, tend the garden and the chickens, prepare dinner, close every entrance of the small house and clean the dishes. It was less than what they were used to, after all, they were not needed to help Isis. In fact, Mrs Olivia wanted them to stay away from the little girl as much as possible.

In the previous day, Alexis was severally scolded after explaining to Isis what had occurred to them. The little girl was curious as to why Krista barely spoke but she ended up crying and apologizing after Alexis said in perfect detail what had happened. With that incident, the twins made sure to be careful with their words. Mrs Olivia showed no problem in using her broom to make sure the two were away from Isis. The woman goggled her eyes at them and loudly scolded both twins, as she got red with anger.

The twins were getting ready to depart for the city just as Alexis was finishing carving on the wooden headboard of their shared bed her mother's protection symbol while Krista finished lacing her shoes.

"You should stop." The brunette spoke. "This isn't our house nor the orphanage."

Alexis shrugged. "We've been kept protected because of the necklaces and these," she pointed at her amazing work. "Be a little more grateful."

They left the house and arrived at the city at 9 a.m., only one hour later a customer appeared. He was the baker. With his chevron moustache and grumpy attitude, he asked for his fresh fruits and demanded the twins to ask Mr David if he would care to join him and his friends in a card game on that weekend. Alexis' gave the man what he wanted and made sure to politely reassure him that she would warn Mr David.

Krista was humming a song while crafting a flower crown with some winter flowers she found on their way to the city. She hated to craft them, but she was bored. Her sister was walking back and forth, sometimes trying to get the attention of some pedestrians who happened to pass by.

"The curfew was lifted a few hours ago." Krista said, stopping what she was doing to look at her impatient sister. "Be patient. Most people are still inside their houses."

Alexis sighed and stopped in front of the brunette. "I just want to sell this quickly. Olivia was pretty clear when she told us her rules."

Krista shook her head and resumed her task, amazed at how calm she was feeling from making the crown if they were in the orphanage Rhea, an eight-year-old who loved to play as a magic princess, would be the first to get the flower crown claiming that as a princess she needed one. "I don't see many children around." Krista pointed.

At the orphanage, they would wake up as soon as the curfew was lifted and be free to join some classes if they wanted to, or they would be forced to attend the mass. Usually, Alexis and Krista would join the classes but after their sixteenth birthday, the nuns wanted them to do most of the hard work, as they were the oldest and the strongest ones' in the orphanage. So they were used to see children running around.

"All schools were closed for safety, especially now that some of those creatures seem to live a bit longer in the sun. I also heard David say that Hunters are ending with orphanages. For some reason, the Immortals are focusing their attacks on places with children." the blonde explained, to which Krista only nodded accepting the explanation.

Alexis sat at Krista's left, her back against the small cart as she watched the brunette craft the crown with ease.

Another hour passed and Krista sighed in relief when more and more people began to leave their houses and approach them to buy fresh vegetables, fruits and chicken. While Alexis was busy with an old couple, Krista found herself having to deal with two loud customers. Adjusting the heather, Japanese quince and pansies' crown in her head, the brunette approached the two customers.

As far as she could tell, they were hunters. The coat was the same, but they were not visibly supporting weapons. They were both blondes, the female having dyed hair. She was tall and slightly muscular; her skin was of warm caramel. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had a squared face. The male was slightly taller, with a good built. He had a natural tanned skin tone that contrasted with his green eyes and light hair. He was focused on Krista, analysing the unknown girl.

"I never knew my friend David had a granddaughter or a niece!" the male exclaimed, the other hunter completely forgotten. "Nice to meet you!" he took her right hand in his, approaching it to his lips.

Wishing to come up as brute as she could, Krista yanked her hand from the hunter's grip. Usually, she would try to be nice to others but hunters tended to act as if they could own everything. Which was true since the royal family left their Kingdom to hide in a different country, leaving them to the demons' and the hunter's mercy. They would only return when and if the demons were exterminated. Ten years passed, and Krista was growing pessimist of what the future waited for them all.

"I'm not related to Mr David." was the brunette's answer. "Anyway, today we're selling lettuce, tomatoes, apples and strawberries," she said, showing the small cart. "So, what will it be?"

"Six apples and five hundred grams of strawberries." the female hunter said.

The brunette nodded, accepting the paper bag from the female as she carefully got them what she had ordered.

"I like your necklace." the male hunter spoke. "It's quite familiar. Don't you think Poppy?" he eyed his fellow hunter.

The female inspected Krista's old looking necklace. It was a family heritage they received from their mother. Something from their grandmother who had cut ties with them and moved to Vienna, as she was against her daughter's marriage. According to their mother, it was a lucky charm that would keep them protected and that would remind them that no matter what happened, they had to stay together. Alexis followed it religiously, while Krista only thought that the last half made sense.

"It's PE-NE-LO-PE! Penelope!" said female rolled her eyes annoyed. "It clashes with the flowers and is completely démodé!"

The dyed blonde female was about to touch the small cage, only to move her hand away when a small stone hit her thumb. Her eyes travelled to the other side of the cart where Alexis stood throwing a small stone in the air. Alexis had a victorious smile in her features but quickly sent a glare towards the female hunter, who seemed too close to Krista for her own good. She approached the three of them and eyed the male who was trying to intimidate her.

"What you did is unacceptable. It's forbidden to hurt a hunter." the male spoke.

"Hunter or not, she was messing with my sister. Please, that was a miserly little stone! For a hunter, she's pretty weak." Alexis crossed her arms and chuckled. "Here!" she said shoving the bag to the male's chest and extending her right hand demanding the money. "Our services are complete."

"I like your attitude." the male spoke. "I can find you a better job than selling vegetables. If you accept, I'll be able to see you every day." he showed a mischievous smirk and winked at the blonde twin, who just looked at him in disgust.

The other hunter was not afraid to show how jealous she was feeling as she quickly laced her arms on the hunter and made him turn around and leave the twins with the money.

Alexis growled annoyed. She only took her eyes out of Krista for a few minutes and that was time enough for someone to bother her twin. Krista could be excessively good and come up as easy prey, so Alexis would act as her shadow and make all the predators run away with their tails between their legs.

"You weren't called for it." Krista said. "I don't recall begging for your help!"

"You never ask for help, yet you always seem to be hand in hand with danger." the blonde stated. "Sometimes I wonder if You're a magnet towards bad luck?"

"Who knows? Perhaps I can be the reason for the possible demise of the human race." the brunette spoke in an exaggerated accent, clearly trying to imitate Olivia's posh attitude.

"Clearly Olivia's drama queen antics are getting to you." Alexis said, flicking her twin's forehead. "You clearly hate her. Even if reluctantly, she's helping us and has a heart since she's been taking care of Isis for 10 years now."

"By not feeding her properly and forcing a blindfold of ignorance on the poor girl. If we are doomed, she should be aware of that." Krista was harsh with her words.

Alexis sighed at her young twin. Krista is mostly quiet and does not express her opinions in certain matters unless she is despising someone's treatment, she is suspecting something or she is against something. Even then, she tries to keep everything for herself and only confides in Alexis. Krista knows Alexis is the only person she can trust. However, she can't understand why Alexis is trusting Mr David with their safety. Of course, she is helping him by selling his vegetables in exchange for a place to sleep. How long will it take for the two of them to be chased with a broom by Olivia until they are out of her sight? How long will it take for the creatures to get to them?

"You're overthinking." the blonde said.

Krista shook her head in denial. "I'm not overthinking. In fact, I think just the right amount." she said. "Let's just finish our duty."

They returned to the small home a few minutes before the siren could announce the curfew. By that time, David and his wife were cooking and little Isis was on the sofa drawing in a sheet of paper.

Alexis quickly joined the young girl while her sister walked around the house closing and double-checking the doors and windows for their safety. The blonde waved at David when the old man appeared in the small living room and turned on the radio and sat beside Isis watching the masterpiece the girl was creating.

"How was your day?" Isis asked, her eyes focused on the drawing.

"Terribly boring. No one seemed to buy what we had." the blonde twin answered. "Such a talent, Isis!" she exclaimed.

It was a woman, one that towered over the trees. The eyes were painted grey, and the hair was long and golden. It was a beautiful drawing, one could even take notice that it was a sad one, due to all the dark colours the girl chose for it.

"That's how I imagine my mom. I've seen photographs of my father and I must resemble my mother since he had dark hair and eyes." Isis said. "I never met her. According to Nana and Papa, a friend of hers brought me here because she didn't want me. I was still a new-born, now I'm ten."

Alexis' face fell. She was feeling terrible for the little girl. Not only she was growing up in a doomed world but also her own mother seemed to despise her. A parent should not do that, it isn't fair for an innocent to be treated as such. After all, Isis' never asked to be born.

Alexis eyed her twin.

"I'm fine. I don't miss her. Neither do I miss my father. He died during the attack, so I don't remember him. It's like they never existed." she showed a sad smile.

The blonde twin hugged the girl. "You have your Nana and Papa. You also have Krista and me. We can be your family." Alexis said, quietly. "Right, Kris?"

David showed a soft smile, quickly sending Isis to her room once the usual notes came from the radio.

"Sure." the brunette absentmindedly answered, completely unaware of what they were talking.

Isis was overwhelmed. Alexis and Krista are the first people she had ever met and the simple fact that the oldest twin was considering her part of the family made her happy. She stopped drawing to begin cleaning and putting her materials back in their designated place. Isis waved them goodbye and went to her room to wait for dinner.

"She reminds me of Mel." her twin said, her face downcast and her eyes trying to hide the sadness she felt at the thought of the young girl.

Alexis embraced her sister, muttering that once again the two were safe and had a chance of staying alive. Even Krista knowing that she couldn't stop but feeling guilt at the fact that many young children had died while she managed to flee without helping. The attack is something present in her mind, usually waking her up in the middle of the night only to bother Alexis with a stupid nightmare. Her sister would then stay awake during the night to calm her down. Krista felt terrible.

"I couldn't help her but I'll protect Isis at all costs so that she won't suffer like many other innocents." Krista said with conviction, her usual voice tone showing more emotion than usual.

Alexis shook her head. The blonde couldn't simply allow it, even if Isis was a child. Krista only had Alexis to protect her and the blonde couldn't add another one under her wing. Especially, a young child like Isis. Things were already hard for her to take care of the two of them. Krista had a big heart and always felt the need to help children but Alexis believed that she needed to pay more attention to her own safety.

"Krista..." David called. "I'm glad she has someone other than Olivia and me to protect her." He said, shifting in his seat once Isaac Byfield's voice came from the radio.

This time, the man announced that they had received a call from help from France and that a small team of Hunters would leave tomorrow in a boat to help them fight the creatures before it was too late. The man also added that another city had been attacked the night before and only eight people survived. The population was dropping fast and that was terrifying. The man ended his transmission with a call for help, saying that the Hunters will start recruiting healthy and young citizens in June.

"Shall we help Olivia?" Alexis asked, taking her sister's hands in hers and making the girl follow her towards the small kitchen.

Krista was confused at her sister's sudden urge to help the old lady but she shrugged and decided to help the moody Olivia who thanked the girls for the first time since they met. Alexis helped with the food while the brunette twin prepared the table for five, the usual.

Dinner was quiet, as it has been the past three days. The only sound came from the knives cutting through the harsh steak and scratching the plates and the loud sound of the siren that announced the beginning of the curfew. It was louder than usual, according to Mr David, some people are trying to break the curfew so the Hunters decided that making it louder and increasing security would be helpful. It wouldn't. Once bitten, they're dead. Only a small percentage escapes that fate if bitten by a stronger Immortal. Even then, the body might not resist the venom.

"Well..." David spoke, clearing his throat a little after. "How was your first day?" he turned to the twins.

Krista opened her mouth to speak but frowned when her sister's voice made its presence in the small kitchen. Isis noticed that and chuckled at the expression in the brunette's face.

"If I said it was good, I would be lying." was what the blonde twin said. "It was fine. A little boring until two bastards decided to disturb my sister. We might probably have lost them as customers, but they won't bother us anymore." she explained, while her twin shook her head.

"May I know who bothered your sister?" the old man asked.

"Some hunters. A tall blonde male with a female. She went by the name of Poppy." Alexis answered.

"Oh! Alexander and Penelope." David exclaimed. "They are the only hunters that I've been selling to. Alexander is particularly a good man with good intentions. One of the few I've met that actually wants to put an end in the de-"

"I believe I have warned countless times that talking about the outside is totally forbidden in this household for Isis' sake!" Olivia interrupted, eyeing her husband with hatred and then her attention shifting to the twins.

The twins sighed and silently resumed to eat their meal, every now and then checking the couple and Isis.


	7. Chapter Six

Isis whispered on Olivia's ear, only for the woman to loudly say that later she would do that. Isis pouted muttering to herself that she was feeling extremely thirsty, something that Krista easily caught. The brunette said nothing and only kept staring at the woman to the point of Olivia feeling embarrassed and called her out for her behaviour by talking to David.

"These girls are so strange! David, she keeps looking at me and it's uncomfortable. I'm really hoping that you two have already found a house to stay in." She spat.

"I'm just staring because I feel that you are hiding something from us." Krista cold, blue eyes demanded answers. "There's a lot of whispering but my hearing is extremely sensitive so I can easily pinpoint what you are saying. Isis said she was thirsty. Why later? Is she being mistreated?" Krista was quick in her accusations.

Many children at the orphanage had been victims of the same; their caretakers couldn't take the fear nor the pressure and began mistreating the weakest ones. It is sad how the bad side of humans could be proven with these kinds of episodes.

Furthermore, Isis and the old couple were quick to deny the brunette's words, a bit too quick. Both twins eyed the three with a sharp gaze. Krista lifted an eyebrow in suspicion while Alexis' eyes narrowed on them. They were hiding something. That much was obvious from their behaviour. Olivia seemed to have gotten paler after Krista's accusation. David ran over his own words, forming incomprehensible sentences such as "Hiding? Maybe some money for food, but Isis is special! That's why we need money." and the little girl... Isis spoke louder than usual, acting almost as if she was offended at Krista's words. Their reactions only fuelled their suspicions.

Olivia showed a worried smile and moved her hands around, not finding a comfortable position to put them. "Isis. Dear" Olivia called the girl, taking an old cloth and cleaning her hands. "Please, go to your room." She said, trying to maintain her smiling face towards the twins.

Isis nodded once, got up from her seat and left the kitchen, getting away from the awkward and uncomfortable environment that had settled on the small place.

"Isis is special. She's not like others." David spoke, unsure on how to even address the topic at hand. "I can't go any further. I don't want any of you to be in danger because of knowing too much. Somethings are better if they remain secret. I bet the two of you have secrets that you keep from each other." He arched an eyebrow.

"Not really. /Fair enough." Krista and Alexis said respectively.

The brunette eyed her sister, who only shrugged it off and mouthed that she just wasn't in the mood for a fight and wanted to go to bed. Alexis smiled at the couple, even though she was waiting for Olivia to say something despicable so that she could call her off or they ended up revealing whatever they were hiding. Maybe the secret is the reason why Olivia was against them staying in the house. The twins locked their eyes. It was a simple gesture, but they knew what they were thinking.

They would find out what the couple was hiding.

"Well. My sister and I'll clean the dishes." The blonde said, excusing herself from the table as she grabbed the cutlery they had used.

Krista got up from her chair, following her sister's actions and then grabbed a cloth to dry the kitchen supplies that Alexis had already washed. Around twenty minutes later, the twins had finished and sat again on their usual seats.

The uncomfortable silence was present as the old couple eyed the two sisters. "Somethings are just hard." Mr David spoke, followed by the noise of dragging his chair on the floor. "And most people won't understand it."

The twins returned to their room a few moments later. Alexis closed the door and counted the number of craved symbols they had and came to the conclusion that they were enough for the time being. She then went in the direction of their shared bed and threw herself onto the mattress, bringing Krista along with her. The bed creaked under their weight and Alexis' couldn't stop laughing at her sister's expression. The blonde held her sister's waist tight and closed her eyes. She heard Krista grumble but ignored her until the brunette used her strength to free herself from her twin's deadly grip.

"What secret are you keeping away from me?" Krista finally asked.

"We should sleep." The blonde said, avoiding the question.

"Not until I receive a proper explanation!"

Alexis sighed and massaged her forehead. She was fully aware that her sister wouldn't give up that easily. "I was the one who left the door open the day Zima disappeared."

Zima used to be a white cat with grey stripes they used to have when they were younger and just days prior to the beginning of everyone's nightmare, it ran away. Their father got them the cat to keep them company, as they were home-schooled and barely left the house. Their father wanted them to be the best of the best, so distractions were out of question. That meant that leaving their house was rare and they only played with children when their parents left them with the lady that lived on the ground floor of the building they lived in.

Krista shook her head and ignored her sister. She changed to her pyjamas and sat on her side of the bed, waiting for Alexis to do the same and start to comb Krista's long light brown curls. Alexis also knew that something was bothering Krista and that was a simple way to make sure her sister was calm and ready to talk.

"What's on your mind?" Alexis asked her sister as she began combing Krista's hair with her fingers, undoing the rebellious strands of hair that were intertwined in each other, and paying attention to the size. They were in desperate need of cutting their hair. The split ends were obvious but they were never fond of short hair.

"Their behaviour." Krista answered a few moments later.

"Please develop more." Alexis said, making sure they were on the same page of thought.

"We're not allowed to speak or even tell what we heard in the city. Not to mention their obvious reaction when I said that it seemed like they were hiding something from us." Krista puffed her cheeks, thinking about what to say next. "I'm concerned with our safety and Isis'. I feel like something is strange."

Krista turned around to face her sister. Alexis took a deep breath and grabbed on of Krista's hands, pinching delicately and slowly her sister's fingers, a habit Alexis developed over the years when the two were talking during the night and completely alone. It made her more awake and ready to act seriously as the older sister. With this small action, Alexis believes that it made her look in charge of the situation. It was also something their father did when he was talking seriously.

"They are protecting Isis. You don't have to worry about that." Alexis smiled, trying to appease Krista's mind. "If anything bad were to happen, I'll stay by your side to protect you." The blonde spoke. "Kris... You're the only one it this damned world that matters to me. You know I would kill for your safety, for you to succeed. If something were wrong, we wouldn't be here. We would have left this house and search for a new place, where we could be safely together. Just the two of us and no one else." Alexis finished, brushing a strand of her sister's face away from her blue eyes.

"Something is wrong." Krista said shoving her sister's hand away. "Don't deny it for my sake" Alexis touched one of her sister's exposed arms. "Olivia is insanely pale. Haven't you noticed it?" Krista asked, getting up from her spot on the bed.

The brunette slowly moved towards the door. She heard steps coming from the stairs, so she decided to check if the door to the room was closed.

"You haven't, right?" Krista said, her voice lower. "Of course you wouldn't. Why would you since all you care about is my well-being?" Krista stopped for a while.

Alexis rolled her eyes at her sister's outburst and took a deep breath, pondering her next words. "So what?" she spoke. "She's old. Sis, you are overthinking."

"Fine!" Krista exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "Don't listen to me. When the time comes, we'll see who was right all along!" The brunette crossed her arms.

Krista walked towards the bed and laid down, her back facing her sister as she tried to keep some distance between them.

Alexis' eyes softened. She covered Krista's body with the blankets and then laid down in the mattress facing the brunette's back. Alexis began to slowly move her fingers around her sister's scalp, knowing that it would calm the brunette down and make Krista fall asleep faster. The youngest twin had many nightmares, not as much as she used to have, but sometimes Krista described them as being even more terrifying.

"Don't think too much. You don't want your nightmares to haunt you again."

"My life already is a nightmare."

Alexis muttered a "goodnight", not receiving an answer from her twin. The blonde female started thinking about her sister's words in the silence of the night. Their life had always been a nightmare, in Alexis' eyes. When she finally heard Krista's soft snores, the blonde decided that it was finally her time to close her eyes and fall asleep.

They woke up a few hours later and, as it became usual, they had to go to the city early in the morning to sell whatever they had for the day. It was around 3 p.m., and the twins were selling some of the goods to the people that passed by.

Alexis was taking care of the order of one hunter who acted a bit too interested in her, saying something between the lines: "You should drop this and spend time with me" and "Why don't you join the Headquarters' Funhouse?". Alexis ignored him, always keeping a nice attitude even if deep down she wanted to punch him across the face.

Krista, however, was helping an old lady. The brunette secured the woman, helping her stand up from her fall. The lady thanked her with a sad smile. She then placed both of her wrinkled hands on Krista's cheeks.

"We need more girls like you." The woman said.

"We must help others in times like these." The brunette smiled. "We're selling a few fresh vegetables, are you interested?"

The woman nodded, her attention moving to the cart as she told Krista what she wanted, while she also sharing with Krista about the death of her beloved granddaughter during the second year after the attack. It was sad to listen that the girl was returning from school with her father. They took longer than expected and, unfortunately, were found dead the next day.

Krista frowned at the story, apologizing once. "She's in a better place." The brunette said. "I lost my parents. My father died in front of us. Our mother survived for one more year, I believe. I don't remember much." The brunette explained, her voice failing once due to the painful memory.

Alexis' caught Krista's words and voice. The blonde was extremely mad and worried, and then she approached her twin sister and the lady, eyeing the latter with coldness. It wasn't that she couldn't understand the lady's feelings but they also lost two beloved family members, the only ones they had, and, as anyone in emotional pain, Alexis was convinced that what they faced was worse than others had. An arm was placed in front of Krista and Alexis pushed her sister behind her protectively. The brunette complained, being quick to hold her sister's wrist muttering that it wasn't time for scandals. Alexis took a deep breath.

"Don't talk about that with my sister. It brings back terrible memories." Alexis spoke in a harsh tone. "Please. Have a good day."

Krista looked around, noticing that some people had gathered around to see what was happening. She hated it. She absolutely despised when Alexis drew the attention to them for incomprehensible reasons.

The brunette's eyes fell on two men. One, who had shiny warm chocolate skin, was whispering something to the other man with white skin that had a slight coral tint to it. The dark-skinned one pointed at her, while the other, certainly Asian due to his delicate and youthful features, showed a smile when he noticed Krista's strong pair of eyes looking at them.

When passers-by started to disperse and the commotion created by Alexis was long forgotten, the two males approached Krista. The dark-skinned man showed a big grin.

Krista was now reorganizing the goods on the cart, trying to ignore the newcomers as best as she could. Something about them screamed danger. When a hand touched the same vivid red apple she had on her hands, she looked up, showing a smile that only Alexis could understand. It meant 'get away'. The Asian man smiled back his dark, monolid eyes disappearing and turning into two half-moons.

"What a beautiful young lady!" the man with Asian features spoke, his accent evident.

"I appreciate the compliment. My parents had good looks." The brunette spoke sounding colder than she intended. "Is there anything you would like to buy?"

"Six apples." The dark-skinned man was the one who answered.

Krista nodded, quickly placing their order in a paper bag and stretching it to them. She asked them if there was something else they needed, her eyes travelling up and down the two, noticing the similar fashion as the Hunters. Their pockets seemed full. The Asian man opened one of the pockets to get the money and the brunette was able to see the shiny blade of a knife.

"Actually..." the dark-skinned man said, his eyes shamelessly travelled to Krista's chest, as he mindfully stared at the necklace she had. "We were watching you from afar and my friend was wondering. Where could he find that necklace?"

"Oh." Krista quickly blushed and closed her jacket to hide the object and the V-neck low cut of her t-shirt. "I don't know. My mother said it was a family heirloom. Something that came from a distant relative of ours." She explained.

The two males looked at each other, the face of the dark-skinned man contorting at the answer of the female. The Asian man handed the money over to Krista. The brunette counted the coins and was about to confirm that they had change to receive when the man placed his hand over Krista's, making her cover the coins with her fingers. The two smiled at the female, telling her to keep the money, and then turned around to leave. Krista was confused, suspicious and slightly scared. They seemed wrong.

A hand delicately touched Krista's left shoulder and the brunette turned around locking eyes with her twin. Alexis bit her lip and then eyed the two males that had just left.

"What happened, Kris?" Alexis asked, her hand slowly moving to her sister's hand and interlocking their fingers. "Were they bothering you?"

"No." Krista answered, looking back at the men. "Just a headache" she added.

Alexis frowned and sighed. "I'll let that poor excuse slide. We sold everything for the day. Shall we return?"

Krista nodded in agreement.

The twins slowly began to tidy the things they had and a few minutes later, they were finally ready to return to Mr David's house and rest for the day. They were extremely cold and were slowly getting fewer things to exchange or sell in the cities. Once they got to the small house, Mr David was there to receive them with a smile and the news that the two girls didn't need to leave for the city for the rest of the week as it was worthless. Instead, Olivia demanded them to make sure they left the house perfectly clean, as she was feeling a bit under the weather.


	8. Chapter Seven

Two weeks went by. The weather wasn't being helpful at all, as it seemed to rain at every hour and occasionally a loud thunder would sound to make sure no one dared to leave their homes. Winters were the worst part of the year. Nights were longer and the freezing temperatures lead to a shortage of food. Most people would try to save some of their food during the year to have during winter days, but it would be spoiled before it could make it to the harsh weather.

Olivia had fallen ill. A friend of David, who used to be a doctor before everything happened, came to the small house to check up on the woman's health. She was incredibly weak, coughing regularly and out of breath. The man diagnosed her with pneumonia and advised that she needed a proper rest and treatment as soon as possible. It was a difficult task to force the woman to stay on her bed and eat whatever soup Alexis had prepared for her. Even ill, the woman had the strength to insult the twins and whatever work they made around the house. It never seemed good enough for her. Olivia also strongly voiced how she wanted her niece by her side, but David had to talk with her saying that it could be dangerous for Isis, but she didn't care. Olivia just wanted the company of the little girl.

Krista noticed that the woman would get worse as days passed, most times she had high fevers and would be delusional, usually screaming for the name of Isis' father and blaming the man for her suffering. When those episodes started, Krista would force Isis to leave her aunt's side and would make sure to calm down the terrified and stressed girl while David would come running to his wife's side.

Isis was scared of what could happen to her Nana. David's friend said that having pneumonia at her age and with the health problems the woman had, it could be almost deadly, so the little girl was frightened. Sometimes Isis would cry, others she would try to help her great-uncle with little tasks that didn't involve leaving the small house.

Alexis decided to teach Isis a bit about flowers and herbs, so that one day if needed, she could find them and know which ones were edible or not and its purposes. The two drew everything down in an old pocket notebook that belonged to Isis father. It was small, with only a few written pages, mostly about groceries and so they decided to turn it into a flower and herbs guide that they hoped would come handy in the future. Alexis had an extraordinary memory, she could draw from memory with great precision to the point it could be compared to a photograph if she had focused hard enough while looking at something, so making that guide wasn't a hard task and it helped Isis get distracted during the week. Krista also joined in. She taught Isis easy to follow tunes and lullabies.

Olivia was slowly recovering and the first day she left her bed and moved to the kitchen to prepare their dinner, she immediately yelled at the twins. Isis was with the girls attentively listening to Isaac Byfield's words about a group of citizens that rioted in front of the Headquarters in Cheshire and expressed their opinion about how the Immortals were the evolution of human race and how the Hunters were the actual enemy.

Alexis was the one to scream back at the woman. The blonde was annoyed at how overprotective of Isis she was and how unhelpful it was to keep hiding the truth from the girl. In the end, Alexis revealed that they gave Isis a mini-lesson about everything that had happened in the past ten years and eight months. Olivia was enraged and even screamed at her loving husband, who ended up agreeing with the twins. Isis also joined in. The little girl stated that she had learned a lot that could help them in the future, all thanks to the twins.

Little had happened in the country, except a few more attacks on other villages that were quickly controlled by the Hunters, but they still decided to evacuate everyone that lived in the coastal area of Yorkshire and the Humber as it was extremely dangerous to keep them there. However, even with the proof of the danger, some members of a cult that follows the Immortals decided to stay there and even attacked the Hunters. That group was slowly getting bigger and bigger, which could become a threat.

March was coming and the days were slowly becoming warmer and longer. Olivia had finally recovered from her pneumonia and once the sirens sounded to announce that the curfew was lifted, she developed a new habit of going to the twins' room to wake them up and make them leave her house, ordering them to only return thirty minutes before the sirens sounded. It was obvious that she wanted the two of them far away from her.

Isis would bid the twins goodbye by singing one of Krista's tunes that the girl believed was extremely heart-warming. For the past few days, the twins noticed that the same two males that had praised Krista were slowly becoming regular customers, approaching the girls' right after midday.

They would try to get more personal and invasive, asking about their past and family, going as far as to ask if their father had had an affair with other women. Krista herself was getting even more suspicious, insecure and even enraged at their constant need to talk with her. For example, the day after they bought from the twins a little stock of fruit, they returned and Alexis was the one who volunteered to help them, as Krista was talking with a young male that wanted help with a flower arrangement for his grandmother. However, the men were persistent and demanded that their request was attended by the youngest of the twins and a few days later, the scenery was similar.

Alexis saw them walking in their direction. The Asian man had his eyes on the twins, particularly on Krista, and licked his lower lip.

"Disgusting." Krista grunted under her breath, dragging the word.

The night before, the twins decided that Alexis would talk with the two until their attention was on the blonde twin. Alexis decided. Krista only agreed with her because that was the friendliest plan the blonde had formulated. Sometimes the blonde was scary and came up with plans no one would even imagine. With this nicer plan, they expected the attention to be driven away from the youngest twin.

"Kris... dear. Can you please answer that lady?" Alexis asked, her strong gaze never leaving the males that were close to them.

The brunette only nodded, turning her back at her sister and finally answering the lady, who was growing impatient.

The two men were finally in front of Alexis. The dark-skinned one, trying to catch a glimpse of the other twin, waved a hand when his dark eyes locked with Krista's. The blonde female crossed her arms on her chest and placed most of her weight on one leg, as she gazed at them with a clear intention of not wanting to be ignored.

"Good afternoon." she greeted, trying to show her best smile.

"Hello. Could we please talk with your sister? You see, she's a lovely girl and she cheers our awful day every time we get to see her face." the Asian man said.

"Well... find me a wig and I can turn myself into my sister. I don't know if you can't tell but we share the same features, as identical twins do." the blonde spoke, pushing her blonde hair away from her face. "I can even make my voice higher a few octaves for that extra, annoyingly cute voice."

"We are pretty aware of that fact. Who could forget such beautiful faces?" he asked. "But you see, your sister... she has that sweet, angelic even, actions that cheer us. So, if you please allow us." the dark-skinned man showed a smile and tried to walk towards the brunette, leaving his back to Alexis.

Alexis firmly grabbed his wrist and, while twisting it, she stood on the tip of her toes and faced the man. He lowly growled in pain through his shut teeth, closing his dark brown eyes when he got to see the blonde's icy blue ones. Alexis showed a smile, getting an orange from the wooden box nearby and forcing it on the male's hand. The male's comrade looked around, making sure no one could see what was happening, and took his time to approach the other twin to avoid being spotted by the other sister.

"Get any closer to my Krista and I'll make you wish you never had laid eyes on her." the blonde muttered, releasing her grip on the male's wrist. "The oranges were picked this morning, they smell wonderful!" she exclaimed, turning to see her sister accompanied by the other man.

Krista had a dull expression as he tried to talk with her. Mostly, he would ask her if she could recommend him something to buy and, from time to time, interrupt Krista with a random question about her, this time about her mother. Krista barely remembered the woman, so how was she supposed to know how to describe her? She only knew her mother had blonde hair similar to her sister's and that was the only thing she told him. However, his smile expressed that she had told him enough.

Seeing this, Alexis stepped in, carefully shoving her sister to another customer and turned to the man with a slight innocence to her voice.

"Your friend already has everything. Oh! I also gave him a message." she smiled and she waved her hand in a sign that showed that she wanted him to leave that place at once.

The man slowly turned around, his eyes still glued on the brunette twin. He took his time to leave, watching as the blonde sister changed her attention to another customer. The Asian man took this as his cue to approach Krista again. Slowly, he opened his water flask and purposely tripped on his non-unlaced shoestrings, 'accidentally' pouring the water on Krista's shirt. He quickly apologised, blaming his clumsiness and offered his handkerchief to the brunette. Krista readily declined. They were slowly getting on her nerves and she wanted them far away from her.

Krista approached her sister, warning her that she was returning to David's house. Alexis wouldn't need her anyway as by then they had little to sell. At first, the blonde was against it but when an old woman from the village offered to return with Krista, Alexis had no choice other than to accept it. And so, Krista returned to the house.

Alexis spent another hour selling the last things she had and when she returned to David's house, she found the man in the garden collecting the oranges from one of the trees. He was humming quietly, his voice very low, almost inaudible for the human ear. It was calming as if he was putting a young child to sleep.

The blonde passed by him, showing a small smile and quickly searched for her sister in the small house. Alexis found her in the back garden cutting the weeds. The blonde decided to help Krista with the task so they could get over with it quicker. Soon, night-time would come and they needed to be inside the house to keep them as safe as possible.

A few nights ago, a village was attacked and its population was set to zero. Each passing day, the danger meter would increase and no one was safe. Especially now that more humans decided that the road to survival was to join the creatures. No one was safe. The friendly neighbour to whom someone offers the oranges of their garden could be plotting something and before someone had the chance to realise it, they would be the main course of an Immortal.

The twins entered the warmth of the house thirty minutes later. The meal had already been served. Bread, a cooked potato, a slice of chicken breast and a soup made with carrots, beans and cabbage. The girls washed their hands carefully and then joined Isis, David and Olivia at the table. As it was usual, Olivia first thanked God for the food and then she was would start eating. David would join her from time to time in her prayers. That night being one of those rare occasions.

Meanwhile, Isis was playing with the food, mumbling that it tasted terribly. Krista wanted to agree but instead chose to persuade Isis to eat. It sure was lacking flavour and was slightly burned.

Dinner went smoothly. Olivia wasn't yelling at the twins, as she always did, instead warned that she had a strong headache and didn't want to hear a single word. The brown-haired twin volunteered to wash the dishes, which Olivia was thankful for. Isis pulled Alexis by the hand to the old sofa, as she had asked the blonde to read her a story. A few moments later, the old couple went to their rooms, asking Isis to follow them, as it was late.

Krista was drying a fork with an old, beige cloth. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the small window opened. She placed to fork down on one of the many drawers under the counter and moved quickly to close the window and check if anyone could break in. She was about to place the wooden planks on the window when she noticed a figure close to the orange trees. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to recognize who or what it was. It was clearly a tall, human figure.

Her first thought was that the figure belonged to one of the neighbours. There was a woman who lived in front of them and she seemed very convinced that the creatures had been sent by God to punish humanity. She believed that she would join them to help them look for those who deserve to pay for their sins. Her second thought was the figure would be one of the creatures who was ready to attack someone but she quickly dismissed that theory. The figure did not look as thin or disfigured as a Runner did. It took a few steps forward from the tree, the body being lit by the dim moonlight, allowing its features to be known.

Krista's eyes widened. He followed her.

"Alexis!" she whisper-yelled for her sister.


	9. Chapter Eight

Alexis, at her sister's cry, ran from the first floor to the ground floor as fast as she could while also trying to be as quiet as possible to not wake up Mr David, Isis or Mrs Olivia. She saw her sister worriedly looking through the kitchen window towards the garden. Krista was clearly shaking, even though she was trying to hide it. Alexis approached Krista and travelled her hands to the brunette's shoulders and gazed into her sister's cerulean eyes.

"He followed us." The brunette said, her voice barely a whisper as she tried hard to not stutter.

Alexis eyed past her sister into the garden through the window. No one was there, not even a spectre. Alexis showed a small smile and kissed her younger sister's forehead. The blonde petted the top of Krista's head twice and said that she was tired and her imagination was only tricking her.

Krista didn't believe it. The constant shifting of her sister's eyes between her and the window showed how suspicious the blonde was. Krista noticed that and turned around.

Alexis took the wooden plank from her sister's hands. "Change into your pyjamas. It is late and you are tired. I'll close the window for you" the blonde said, patting one of her sister's shoulders.

Krista was about to refute but Alexis shooed her from the kitchen. Defeated, the brunette went to the room.

Alexis followed next. First, she decided to check if everything was closed, she decided to place chairs under the doorknobs. When everything had passed under Alexis' critical eyes, she yawned and went upstairs towards the room.

There, she found Krista wrapped on the blankets, shifting uncomfortably. The blonde changed into her pyjamas and then hopped on the bed. She laid on her right side and hugged Krista. Alexis began to curl her sister's hair until she could hear her heavy breathing.

Hours passed and the moon was on its peak, gracing the earth with the redirected light rays while nocturnal animals accompanied this almost ethereal moment with their melodies. Bats would squeak while an owl would hoot to its mate, all-natural sounds, except for the acute, deafening, bloodcurdling scream that followed next.

Krista opened her eyes and covered her ears, the high scream hurting her sensitive ears. The scream then ceased and the brunette sat on the mattress, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of the room as she looked around. She was about to lay back on the mattress and try to sleep, but loud growling noises echoed on her ears. Her eyes landed on the closed window. She couldn't stop hearing agonizing screams coming from the other side. They were so scary that a shiver ran up her spine. She knew that the house wouldn't last long.

The brunette carefully, to not wake her sister up, left her place in the bed and removed one of the wooden planks that did almost nothing to protect the window. She peeked through the hand-sized opening and saw one of the neighbours running towards the forest. The middle-aged man was being followed by an extremely pale-skinned and almost bald Runner. The creature's skin hugged its bones, one could easily count the ribcage's and the spine's bones. It walked fast incredibly fast, however losing a bit of its balance from time to time. The naked skin of the creature was splashed with blood, especially the hands. Those claw-like nails had pierced many innocents. Krista widened her eyes and contained a scream when the creature got to the man. The thing pushed the man aside with ease, making the poor innocent hit his head against a tree trunk and create a puddle of crimson liquid. Then the monster laid on top of the man, biting him unceremoniously.

Krista was speechless. It took her a long time to process what had happened the past minutes. Only when the faint smell of blood invaded her nostrils and she heard unusual movement from the other room did she turn around and moved fast towards the bed. She jumped on the mattress and shook her sister's body hard, repeatedly and quickly. The brunette only stopped when she heard a sleepy moan of frustration coming from the blonde.

"Sis?" What's wrong? Are you hurt? With a fever? Do you feel any pain?" Alexis made many questions waiting for her sister to explain.

The blonde sat up straight, her hands holding firmly her sister's arms waiting for an answer but the screams coming from the outside were enough explication. They heard the growls increasing in volume, banging on the front door of the two-floor house and finally the sound of the wooden planks that protected them falling with a thud on the floor. Alexis got up from the bed at the same time as glass shattered on the ground downstairs. Her heart was beating fast as each second mattered for her to take her sister away from the house and the small village and also because she didn't know where to go or what to do.

The blonde female grabbed her sister's hand, asking Krista to push the wardrobe so that the only entrance to the room was locked. Krista agreed. After that, Alexis rushedly told Krista to dress her usual clothing as they had to leave that place urgently. While the brunette was finishing getting dressed, Alexis shoved the little belongings they had in a backpack she found laying under the bed. The blonde tied her hair back in a high ponytail while her sister gazed out the window, watching the chaos that awaited them outside.

The runners were invading other households, including Mr David's, and they didn't seem to be alone, humans were also with them. The twins were alarmed when they heard the front door hitting the wall and they knew they now had little time to plan a way out.

Alexis looked around. The window was clearly their only chance to escape but they needed weapons, or rather, Alexis needed a weapon. She could never force Krista to fight, she knew her sister was strong, but her personality didn't combine with the reality of their world. The blonde could bet that Krista didn't know how to fight. She knew Mr David's crafting table was under Isis' room and that she could take one of the carving knives for her to use. They weren't that effective against demons, as the material wasn't made of the right combination of crystals, one of the creature's weaknesses, but it would have to suffice.

Krista eyed her sister and sighed. She took the fabrics that were on the bed and started to tie the ends of the blankets. "We can use these to escape through the window as long as they can take our weight." The brunette said, receiving a light pat on her head from her sister.

The two began to tie the ends of the blankets together, creating a pastel blue coloured rope long enough for them to escape through the window.

Just as they had finished tying the blankets, they heard steps approaching their location and the twins stopped moving for a few seconds, their breath stuck and eyes fixated on the door as they heard the unknown being pass through outside their room and opening the door of the next one. Gunshots followed next, accompanied by Isis' piercing screams and David demanding the girl and his wife to leave the room. They could hear them running down the stairs and David using his shotgun three more times.

The twins looked at each other and at the same time approached the window to see if they could get out. Only requests for mercy could be heard from far away, other than the horrific screeches from the creatures. The garden was pointed to the great forest and not even a soul dared to march that way. Only the remains of the body of the man who had been devoured could be seen.

The older blonde opened the window and Krista let the rope of blankets fall. As long as it was, it still didn't reach the ground, being about 70 centimetres from the dirt soil where Olivia had tried and failed to grow flowers to decorate their house.

Alexis was the first to go down the improvised rope, followed by her sister. The blonde twin adjusted the backpack and then held one of her sister's wrist, securing her so that she wouldn't fall and get hurt. Once Krista was securely inside the room, Alexis turned her attention to the task at hand.

The blonde searched for the carving knives on the woodworking table, taking the sharpest one she could find and inspecting it. It was pointy yet slightly curved, perfectly ready to be used. The blonde then grabbed her sister's hand and began walking but Krista stopped her by yanking her hand from her sister's grip.

"Come on. We have to leave this hell hole!" Alexis demanded, tapping her foot rapidly on the floor and straightening her posture, with the hopes that it would give her the demanding and superior appearance she needed so that her sister would follow her simple command.

Krista turned her back to Alexis and searched on the carving table for another knife for herself, as even if she wasn't going to use it, the object would at least give her a slight sense of safety and stability. She found another sharp knife with the tip resembled a fountain pen. She placed the object in the pocket of her jacket and then eyed her sister.

Alexis rolled her eyes and moved her head, a signal that meant that Krista had to follow her but the brunette refused to acknowledge her command. She wouldn't move. Not until Alexis remembered that Isis was still somewhere needing help. The older twin tried to force her to move by grabbing her hand once again but Krista yanked her hand from her sister's grip and only eyed the blonde with a frown.

Alexis sighed in frustration. She wanted to yell at her sister but she couldn't as to not alert whoever might still be in the house. Krista had a big heart and could never think first of her safety when a child was in danger. But Isis had a family. She had Mr David and Olivia who could protect her while Krista only had Alexis. The blonde growled, done with her sister's selflessness and stubbornness.

"She's fine! They will protect her!" Alexis whisper-yelled. "Now come!" her voice was demanding.

"For fucks sake! Can't you understand that they are old?" Krista questioned. "Even if they protect her, they won't stay here for long. Isis needs someone." the brunette walked towards the front door. "Do you want her to die like Tommy and Melanie? She's a child! Even if there's no paradise expecting her, she's an innocent! Stop being so selfish for once!" Krista took a deep breath. "I'm almost eighteen! I can take care of myself!"

Alexis was livid. Couldn't her sister understand that the only thing that mattered to her at the moment was her safety? Their father had made Alexis swear on her life that the blonde would always protect her sister, as Krista was a weak child. The brunette's health problem disappeared but the man feared it would return later in life, so to have some peace of mind he made Alexis' promise that she would take care of Krista. But how could he have requested that of his other child?

"This is the last time!" Alexis pointed a finger to her sister. "Let's find her and get out of here."

Alexis forced Krista to walk beside her and grab the hem of the blonde's shirt. They entered the house, seeing the front door hanging by one the joints, clearly broken. The twins took a few steps forward taking in the image of the broken and destroyed sofas, counters and table, as well as the bloodied walls and floor.

Alexis tried to listen if Mr David was around. A chill ran through her spine, not only from the cold but from the unpleasant surroundings and the sudden rotten stench that engulfed her senses. She turned around to warn her sister that something was close when she saw a beast wrapping his arm around her twin's waist. Krista shirked, moving around elbowing the creature's hands trying to free herself from the grip.

Alexis first reaction was to try to stab it but Krista moving violently did not allow her to approach and she froze when the Runner held Krista even tighter against it, this time holding her only with one arm wrapped under the brunette's chest. The other hand went to Krista's face, caressing it as he took in her scent. She was terrified, though her eyes didn't show that. She closed her eyes when the hands of the creature approached the area, and she felt a line, from the beauty mark she had slightly under her eye to her right dimple, being formed. She felt the cold tongue of the creature licking the blood that fell and its mouth slowly opening.

Two gunshots were heard from behind them and the creature's grip was slowly becoming undone. Once Krista was free from the demon's hold, Alexis approached her hugging her tightly.

"I warned you!" Alexis spoke, eyeing Mr David. "Thank you."

"Isis was the one who asked me to come here." the man said. "Let's go."

The twins nodded and followed the man. Mr David stopped on his tracks, his free hand placed in front of the twins, signalling them to stop on their tracks. Krista followed Mr David's eyes and, opposing her sister, she wasn't shocked to see three males in front of them. Two of them being the customers that kept bothering Krista and the other one a dark-haired male, showing a rather sadistic smile. He was particularly interested in the blonde twin, as his eyes would travel up and down the girl's figure.

"Which one of them did you say she was?" he asked, his smile never leaving his features.

The dark-skinned man pointed at Krista with a bloody finger.

Alexis growled and Mr David pointed his shotgun to the man in the middle, the one that made the question. The blonde hid Krista with her body, making sure no one could see her beloved sister.

"Get the brunette. Kill the man." was the man's order. "Keep the blonde alive. I'm interested in her." He added, biting his lower lip.

David held firmly his shotgun; he took a deep breath. "What do you want from Krista?" he asked.

"She's the half-breed child. The necklace she wears is used to hide the scent of demons, clearly her mother would give her that. To keep that thing away from the King." the Asian man exclaimed, a finger pointing accusingly at the brunette.

Alexis blinked her eyes in disbelief. She took a step forward but was stopped by her sister, who had a serious expression.

Mr David arched one of his eyebrows, confusion written on his face.

"How can you be so sure that she's the half-blooded child?" David questioned. "Isn't the scratch on her face proof enough of how human she is? She hasn't healed yet! From what I know, the purer the blood of a demon, the faster they heal."

Alexis eyed David. The man was trembling in fear, his voice higher than usual, his pupils dilated in fright. Yet, he was trying to help them. Help Krista. She wanted to thank him, but that wasn't the time. The blonde surely couldn't understand what the men were talking about but the biggest question was how did David know so much about the inhumans. The couple seemed to hide many secrets.

"She's not who you are looking for. I can take you to her."

At David's words, silence fell. The three men eyed each other, waiting for the man in the middle to give his answer.

Alexis held her sister's hand, instinctively beginning to search for a way out.

"Alright. Let's see that but I'll take the brunette with me." the man in the middle spoke, firmly walking towards the girls.


	10. Chapter Nine

Alexis hugged Krista, showing her back to the male. He chuckled, placing his hand on Alexis' shoulder and started to tighten it, increasing its strength more and more and, in a quick movement, the black-haired man pushed Alexis and held Krista's wrist. He crouched in front of Krista and, in the blink of an eye, circled one of his arms on the back of the brunette's knees and placed her on one of his shoulders.

The blonde twin tumbled until she was held by the black-eyed man. He eyed her; his sharp, almond eyes closed as crescent moons when he showed an entertained smile.

"Do whatever you want with her. Hugh, find some Runners. If old 'pal is lying they'll have someone to feast on." the dark-haired male said. "Let's go."

Alexis started to debate nonstop. Even though the man continued to hold her chest with all the strength he had, Alexis struggled to get rid of him and run towards her sister. She screamed and cursed. At that moment, she just wanted to see the black-haired man lying on the floor, asking for mercy, while the blood coming out of his body caught the attention of the creatures he helped so much. It was what he deserved for touching Krista with those dirty hands.

Alexis stopped moving. She dropped her head and her body began to shake. She was angry. Angry because her sister didn't listen to her. Angry because she failed to protect her.

"What is it? Is poor little rabbit scared?" the man asked mockingly and released a little chuckle.

Slowly, Alexis grabbed the carving knife she had, her movements delicate and precise.

"Yes." No.

"The strong female acting is gone?" he asked.

"Long gone." she muttered, surprisingly calm. "I'm just waiting for a big, strong man to come and save me."

"Well... if you had been a good bunny, I could have saved you." he said

Alexis let a sigh leave her lips and in a quick movement, she dug the carving knife repeatedly into one of the man's legs. Reacting to the pain, he released his grip on her and started cursing her. The blonde approached the man, her blue eyes burning with rage, wanting to see him suffer. Her free hand pushed him towards the orange tree and with the carving tool, she pinned his hand on the trunk. Droplets of crimson falling on the dirt as the man moaned in agony.

"This is the same tree you were when you saw my sister today, isn't it?" she asked, imposing her presence on him. "You scared her and you've been bothering her for the past weeks. Do you know what you deserve?" she asked, removing the tool from his hand.

Her sentence was never completed as she heard someone say "Hunters". Alexis turned around and saw the familiar sage coats invading her field of view.

"They'll take care of you." she smiled. "I'm finding Krista and killing that bastard."

The blonde began to run, passing through some of the neighbours' houses since she had seen Mr David heading in that direction but she then had to rely on her sharp sense of smell to find Krista. That was the main use for the necklaces they had. Both twins had increased smell, sight and hearing senses and they would put it to use when needed. Not that it was anything special.

Once, during one of their family trips to Vienna, they went to Vienna Festival, a cultural festival held between May and June. There the twins saw a cute Siberian Husky and got lost, having to use their smell sense to return to their parents. And like that time, Alexis was ready to do that.

She would find her sister no matter what because she needed Krista to be with her. The brunette was the only one that could prevent the blonde from going rampage.

Alexis turned in a corner and took a deep breath. Nothing. Only lifeless bodies being inspected by the recently arrived hunters. One of them saw her and asked the blonde to stop. Alexis resumed running in the direction of the forest, causing the Hunter to lose sight of her. The oldest twin leaned against the wall of a house, trying to catch her breath.

She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She opened her mouth wide when her feet went against something, she looked down seeing Olivia's half-devoured body spread on the floor. The blonde now started to feel worried about Isis. The thought of the little girl being in the same situation as her caregiver was terrifying. How would Krista react?

"Isis?" she whisper-yelled.

Alexis heard something hitting against wood, followed by a child crying and the call of the blonde's name. The oldest twin opened the top and saw the little girl getting up from her uncomfortable sitting position. Isis was tearing when she saw Alexis. She was relieved to see a familiar face. The little girl hugged Alexis tight, her grey eyes scanning her surroundings, she then gasped horrified at the vision of Olivia's body. Alexis helped Isis exit the box and kneeled in front of her, drying her tears with the hem of her jacket.

"Hey! Listen to me." the blonde said in a hushing voice. "Everything is fine. Okay? The Hunters have arrived" Alexis spoke in a thin voice. "I'll take you to them. I have something important to do."

Isis shook her head. She didn't want to be left alone, not again. She hugged Alexis as strong as she could, which was far more than a normal child could. The oldest twin blamed that on how terrified she was.

"Where's Krista?" Isis asked, her teary voice slowly turning to normal. "Is she the important thing you have to do?"

Alexis couldn't lie. It wasn't right and Isis had gone through a lot for the day.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Isis said, tears once again spilling from her grey eyes.

Alexis turned around at the sound of steps coming their way, three figures getting close to their location. They were talking, a female and two males. Alexis caught the name "Will" on their conversation and then she saw someone running in their direction.

Coppers short locks came into view. His hazel eyes showed worry. The male showed a gently smile when his eyes locked with Isis'. The little blonde girl turned her gaze away.

Alexis saw the other two appear. Tall, shoulder-length, blonde hair and those bright green eyes only enraged her, not to forget the fake platinum blonde female that was by his side. She smiled towards Alexis.

"Well... seems like we came on time to save you." Penelope joked.

"It's not the time." the redheaded male said. "I'll take the two of you to the doctors." he smiled. "I'm William."

Alexis got up. Isis had a strong grip on her right hand, seeking protection.

"I can't. I need to find my sister." Alexis spoke.

Penelope rolled her eyes annoyed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh please, you can't do it. The Hunters have arrived. We shall do our job." the warm caramel-skinned hunter said.

"She's right." the green-eyed hunter said. "We'll find your sister. The two of you need to leave this village now." he added.

"No! There's no way the three of you can find her!" she yelled back. "Krista is in danger and I am the only one who can find her!" she exclaimed.

Alexander sighed, a hand combing his long blonde locks. "Look... Hunters have stronger senses, only slightly weaker than an Immortal. We will find her." the hunter said, trying to assure her that everything would turn out alright. However, it did nothing to but make her less anxious. Hunter's are full of themselves and things tend to not work according to what they planned, case in point: the barrier on the south.

"Besides..." the redheaded started. "Protect the little girl. She's the most important matter at the moment." he said, eyeing Olivia's body. "Poor woman." he muttered.

Alexis decided to cooperate. She had Isis to look after now and they were right. They were here and had a job to do. Alexis just wanted them to do that job right. The two girls followed the Hunters to the entrance of the village. They were forced to stay on a cue and wait to be checked by the doctor. William would try and cheer Isis, which Alexis was grateful for, but the blonde twin only had her sister in mind. She eyed the moon as her worried heart began to beat faster. The hunters then left, leaving the two girls alone listening to desperate cries and some drunk with rage people blaming the hunters and God.

Isis had a strong grip on Alexis' hand, scared that the blonde would turn into ashes if the little girl dared to release her. Alexis stroked the back of Isis' hand with her thumb, expecting that it would be enough to reassure the little girl.

Alexis mind wasn't calm at all, something screamed that she had to find her sister on her own. What if the hunters did something to Krista? But Isis also had no one and she had to stay with the little girl.

"They'll find Krista!" Isis exclaimed. "The universe doesn't allow the two of you to be separated for long." She tried to smile.

They took a step further on the queue. Alexis sure hoped that Isis was right. The blonde was terrified of the thought of losing her beloved sister. Alexis couldn't stop but question and wonder what Krista was going through. Whatever it was, the blonde would make sure the men would pay the double, that is if they would still be alive. She took a deep breath and tried to show a positive façade to the little blonde girl.

Krista knew they have been walking for a while now. They were clearly in the forest, not far from the village but not close either. Krista was tired. It didn't matter what she did or how hard she would hit him, bite his shoulder or how many times she pierced her nails on his skin. Defeated, she stopped punching the male's back, her arms swinging with each movement the man made. She looked behind, seeing old Mr David walking slowly, his feet dragging on the floor as he led the way towards their destiny. His face was low, sad. His eyes puffy and red but he kept walking, his gunshot ready to use if needed.

"We're here." David announced.

"Finally!" The man exclaimed.

The ebony-haired male placed one of his hands under one of Krista's armpits and pushed her to the floor. A mischievous and sadistic smile appearing on his face when he heard the brunette whimper in pain. With his bloody hands, he grabbed a fistful of Krista's light brown locks and approached his mouth to her right ear.

"Kneel, little lamb." he whispered, while his other hand caressed her chin.

Krista eyed him, her cerulean eyes completely absent of emotion as she only stood there... watching him.

Infuriated with her lack of reaction, he pulled her hair strongly and rose her face to his. The man's dark eyes shifted quickly to David when the old man tried to approach them and help Krista.

"Stand still, old pal. I won't think twice about killing her if you try to approach us. Where is the goddamn princess?"

Krista's face contorted in pain, her hands quickly moving to the man's hand around her locks, a silly attempt to release the man's grip. Her breath was caught in her throat each time he pulled her hair harder, to the point she believed he would pluck all the hairs from her scalp. It was so painful, a tear slowly escaped one of her eyes.

"Oh, poor little lamb. She's crying!" the man mocked, bringing his face closer to hers and licking the tear that was falling, leaving behind a strong feeling of disgust she fought to keep hidden.

She used her coat sleeve to clean the saliva off of her face and decided to finally comply to the man's request and she kneeled on his side after he demanded her to that once more. One of her hands was in her pockets, her grip firm on the knife she had. Krista remained still, watching the two males as they faced each other.

Mr David was sweating. He was terrified of doing something wrong and then have to see Krista pay the consequences. The longer they stood there glaring at each other, the angrier and frustrated the younger man was getting. His voice sounded like an explosion to their ears as he demanded David to see the princess once more.

"Let her go!" David demanded.

The man chuckled, pulling on her hair once again. The sharp cries of pain that came out of the brunette's mouth gave rise to a pleasant warmth in the body of the monstrous man. David's pleas to release the female were unheard by the ebony-haired man as he seemed delighted with Krista's pain.

The brunette couldn't handle the pain any longer, it was unbearable, she felt like her head was being pulled out of her body. A strong headache was forming as she heard the man moan pleasurably at her voice. In a swift movement driven by immense pain, she took the knife from her pocket and stabbed the man in between two of his ribs. She removed the knife quickly and turned her face around, the droplets of blood staining her light brown hair. The man screamed in pain, his hand leaving the female's hair to be placed on his new wound. From his mouth came a "you little bitch" directed to Krista but she didn't even register his words.

Krista lost balance and fell forward but she quickly rose to her feet and ran in David's direction. However, she was forced to stop on her tracks as a small group of Runners was ready to attack her and due to that, David was crushed under the weight of five mindless creatures, all of which seemed very interested in their newfound meal.


	11. Chapter Ten

Krista's eyes widened when she found herself between a tree and the man she had stabbed before. His pupils were dilated, as he slowly pressed his body closer and closer to Krista's. A dagger in his right hand, as he played skilfully with it besides Krista's head. One of his legs, slowly putting pressure on Krista's abdomen, which became easy due to the height difference. His free hand secured her face in place, forcing her to look up directly at his eyes.

"Poor man. See what your actions did?" He taunted, "He's dead now. Just like your existence has murdered many others!" He waited, but no reaction came from her. "The King will be so, so glad to see you but first, I'd like to receive my reward." his face approached her neck as he took in her scent, harshly backing away with his sudden discovery. He eyed her, rage boiling on his eyes and suddenly the atmosphere darkened.

"Where's the sweet Immortal smell mixed with the bitter human?" his voice raised, as he tightened his grip on her chin. "You are human!" Krista closed her eyes when she saw the dagger moving in the direction of her face, only to be craved on the tree trunk. "You little bitch! Where did you find that necklace?" he asked.

Krista remained quiet, answering would only mean that he would try to find her sister and squeeze every answer he could from her and she did not want Alexis to be in the situation she's currently in.

"Answer me!" he screamed, his face red with rage, his bad breath hitting Krista's face. "You either answer me or I'll rip you from the inside out. I'll break you and kill you. I'm sure that there's no need for tainted angels in heaven."

"This world is already rotten." she muttered to herself. "Why should I trust a nymphomaniac man's words?" her hands travelled to the man's face, her thumbs caressing each bit of his bloody skin. The man slowly brought his face closer to hers, only to see a delicate angelic smile on Krista's features and her thumbs approaching his eyes.

Quickly, Krista pressed her thumbnails strongly on the man's eyes and successfully managed to escape his grip she ran away, only to find herself surrounded by starving Runners who saw her as their next meal. She took a step back, still being able to listen to the man calling out for her. The brunette searched for her knife but it must have fallen when she was being pressed against the tree. She looked around trying to find a solution but nothing seemed to come to her mind.

Amidst her lack of action, her arm was violently pulled by the man from before. His blood-red eyes entered her line of sight as he moved her hair to her right shoulder and firmly held her neck with one of his big hands, keeping enough pressure to some air to pass through. He sent the creatures to guard with the promise of leaving her body for them to feast on once he was done with her. With his other hand, he began to caress her stomach slowly moving upward and breathing on her left ear.

Krista stepped on his foot in a futile attempt to debate against him and the man yelped at the same time as shots were heard. The brunette opened her eyes and saw three figures approaching them.

Annoyed, the man applied even more pressure on his grip around Krista's neck and added his other hand to help, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"Hunters" he smiled. "You came to ruin my fun? Can't a man find a good piece of meat to end his never-ending loneliness?"

"You bastard, you were assault her!" a redheaded male growled, walking slowly towards Krista and the man, unsure of the man's next action. "Scum like you are the reason why humanity is doomed." he added. "Let her go!"

"I don't think so. One more step and she's dead." Krista began to punch his hands, her movements getting slower and her skin slowly getting bluish due to the lack of oxygen and the loss of blood flow.

Another gunshot was heard, followed by the man groaning in pain. His hands slowly left Krista's throat and the female fell on the floor, coughing non-stop as her lungs finally receiving the air they so desperately were asking for.

"Penelope!" the redheaded male exclaimed, running to Krista's position and crouching beside her.

"What?" the fake-blonde female asked confused. "You wanted her to die?"

"You could have hit her." the other blonde hunter said with a tone of voice that indicated he was getting too tired of her behaviour. "Think twice before acting! William, how is she?"

"Right, Alexander" Penelope rolled her eyes, putting her revolver on her vest's pocket and stretching her arms as she watched her leader approach the brunette.

Alexander eyed the brunette, paying attention to the scratches and the red mark of the man's hand on her neck. He was glad that she was finally breathing, one less casualty to add to the already long list.

William took his water canteen from his belt and offered it to the brunette female, helping her sit comfortably on the muddy floor.

Krista was shaking. She was terrified of what could have happened to her if the hunters never came. By now, the man would have ruined her body, not only with his precious dagger. The brunette accepted the water, drinking as if days had passed since she last drank water.

"How are you?" William, the redheaded male, asked. His dark, hazel eyes concerned by Krista's well-being.

Krista shook her head, unable to create a decent sentence. She only eyed the hunters. William's big round concerned eyes, Alexander's green angry eyes and Penelope's bored brown eyes.

"Still intact as a porcelain doll. Shall we go now?" Penelope spoke. "I killed the man; our job is almost done. Let's burn this place down and go back to the Headquarters."

"Stop being so heartless." Alexander condemned. "Will. Let's take her back and give her a blanket, she's freezing. Take her to that blonde girl we saw earlier. They are twins."

"What about you and Penelope?" William asked as he got the small dark-olive coloured blanket from his backpack.

"We have to burn the village down and hopefully melt all of these bastards with it."

William nodded, helping Krista to her feet and wrapping her small body in the blanket. The two of them walked to the entrance of the village, where a few vehicles that were provided to the doctors were finally arriving.

The redheaded male tried to talk with the female, explaining when they received the warning and where she was going now. She remained quiet, only wishing to see her sister again.

A strangely perfect cheese sandwich was placed in front of her. William showed a soft smile as he handed his food to the girl, insisting that she ate it. Krista took it gladly, muttering a "thank you" and began to eat it, her empty stomach happy to finally receive some decent food.

When they arrived at the entrance of the village, William took her to one of the doctors, a thirty-year-old Asian woman with dark hair and sharp almond-shaped eyes. She smiled at Krista, forcing the girl to sit in a foldable chair.

"I'm Naeun." the female smiled. "I'll take care of you."

Krista nodded, stuffing the rest of the sandwich in her mouth, causing the doctor to laugh at her.

"You look like a squirrel. That's cute." the doctor pointed. "Anyway, tell me something. Were you bitten?"

"No. I just... I found this man and he tried to rape me." Krista answered, her voice monotone.

Naeun eyed William, seeing the male get slightly uncomfortable with the topic.

"Was he an Immortal?" the doctor asked as she began to clean Krista's wounds. "Please, tell me if I'm hurting you"

"I believe he was human. Or a hunter. I don't know. I was just lucky that I managed to survive." the brunette said, hissing at the liquid on the cotton ball. "I thought I was going to die."

"Do you have anyone? Family? Friends?" the doctor asked.

"My sister. Where is she?"

William placed a hand on Krista's shoulder, telling her that he was going to find her sister so that they could reunite. Both Krista and the doctor thanked him. After her wound had been perfectly clean and treated and she had them bandaged, Naeun prepared a syringe and a brand-new needle.

Krista raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes speaking for her. Naeun laughed softly at the brunette's reaction and very quickly explained that everyone had to draw blood for analysis. Hunters decided that this was the best way to see if someone who had been bitten was going through the transformation, or in other cases to check if they had any health issue.

Krista nodded and after Naeun took her blood for analysis, the doctor kept talking with the girl, trying to make her forget about what had happened.

Naeun talked about the fact that she left South Korea around three years ago, to help the hunters study the Immortals but she was interrupted by a call for Krista. The two followed the voice and Krista's smile grew when she saw her twin running in her direction, being followed by Isis and William.

Alexis hugged her twin tightly, tears threatening to leave her eyes as she expressed how worried she was.

Naeun smiled apologetically, disturbing the reunion of the three girls. She took three sheets of paper and a pen from her bag. She asked William if the three girls could stay under the care of Alexander's team. The ginger-haired male agreed and Naeun took this as a sign to write Alexander's name on top of the page. She then gazed the three females, showing a reassuring smile.

"I need to write some information about the three of you. A report about the situation you lived in, your age and birthday, and especially your full name." Naeun explained. "There's a chance you have someone from your family alive, possibly even in this town. So... Shall we start with the oldest?"

"Alexis Safiya Daae. Eighteen. Born on the 31st of December." the blonde was quick to talk. "Everything is the same for Krista. Except for the first name, obviously. We lived somewhere in London with our parents. Our house was one of the firsts to be attacked. We managed to escape with our mother but a year later she disappeared and Krista and I lived in the streets for a few days until the nuns took us under their wing."

"So... an orphanage. Were the two of you expelled due to your age or lack of beds for younger orphans?" Naeun questioned as she wrote everything down.

"No. We were expecting to be forced to leave soon but the orphanage was attacked. We don't know who survived nor where they might be." Alexis answered.

"I know which orphanage you are talking about. Sadly, only seven orphans managed to survive. The owner and two of the priests also are alive. They took the children with them after recovering." Naeun talked.

"Well. Are we done with the questions?" Alexis asked in a rude and rather bored tone.

"I just need your parents' names."

"Lilith and Cole." Krista was the one to answer. "We don't know our mother's last name."

She saw the rage beginning to boil on her sister's eyes and decided to take that question, smiling in the end. Krista held her sister's hand telling her to relax and that the questions were needed.

Naeun thanked her and turned her attention to the young girl. She ruffled Isis blonde hair and asked her the same things.

"I'm Isis. Just Isis. I'm ten years old. My birthday is on the 30th of May." she answered. "I don't know my parents' names or who they were." her bottom lip was shaking and her voice becoming lower. "Nana and Papa were my father's uncles but they never talked to me about what happened to him. I've always lived in this village." Isis used her left hand to clean her tears.

Naeun stopped writing and gave Isis a handkerchief for her to dry her teary eyes.

"You were born three days before the attack. You and many other kids are the unlucky ones that are followed by those creatures. I believe your Nana and Papa were really strong today and did the best they could to protect you." Naeun tried to cheer the girl.

Isis nodded and approached Krista, hugging the female's waist. In the beginning, she wasn't fond of Krista. Alexis seemed more cheerful but, as time passed, Krista slowly became her favourite twin.

The smell of burning wood entered their nostrils and the warmth of the fire was evident. The village was finally burning. The houses and the bodies of many were agonizingly slowly turned into piles of ashes, becoming a sad grey memory in the minds of those who survived.

Alexis adjusted the blanket on Krista's shoulders and gazed attentively at her other half. The brunette had her cerulean eyes glued on the flames as they destroyed another one of their chances of having a roof over their heads.

The blonde twin sighed. For once, since the incident at the orphanage, she had no clue of what she could possibly do. Krista's safety is in her hands and she knew that while nothing else mattered except for her sister, she was proved once again of not being capable of protecting her.

One by one, Hunters began to come out from the flaming village, some cheering that their surprise mission was finally complete and others were quiet, wanting to pay respects for those who lost their lives in such a cruel way.

It didn't take long for Alexander and Penelope to approach William, the twins, Isis and Naeun. The blonde male high fived his male friend and then eyed the three homeless girls.

"I need you to sign these papers. They're under the care of your team for the next two days." Naeun warned.

Alexander agreed and received the papers Naeun was handing him. Attentively, he read each and every word the doctor wrote showing a quirky smile and eyeing the oldest of the twins.

"Byfield is thinking of helping them all?" Penelope asked, checking her surroundings and counting the survivors. "We barely have rooms for us!" she yanked the papers from Alexander's hands without warning.

Naeun shook her head at the female, to which Alexander only shrugged his shoulders and asked if they were ready to go. The hunter walked further, his team members following behind. Naeun tried to put a smile on the faces of the three girls but it seemed impossible. She couldn't blame them, Only those creatures. She just signed with her head to the three girls to follow them.


	12. Chapter Eleven

The moon was still high in the sky, showing that it was around midnight. The group of hunters, doctors and the survivors had to mostly walk to the Headquarters of the Hunters, as only the ones that were injured went on the available vehicles. It took them almost an hour to get to their destination.

Said place was an old Victorian mansion, clearly renovated with the newest technologies, that is as recent as they could afford. The Victorian-style was there, the roof was of a greyish-blue and the walls were white. Right in front of the entrance was a colossal statue with three wolves: one was giant with dark fur nuzzling a small white one, and there was another, small black wolf lying under the big one.

Behind the house, there were two tall buildings. They reminded of a huge black and white shoebox, boring and dull. From where they were standing, they could see that it had a lot of windows. The building had little to no detail, clearly modern. Neatly organized on the grass, some visible on the rooftop, were solar panels and some wind turbines that completely destroyed the magic and interest of the Victorian building.

Their attention then turned to the front doors of the Victorian building, where a man had exited and was approaching them. His skin reminded chocolate, he was short and pot-bellied. His hair was dark and closely cropped, with some grey hairs coming in to view. He smiled, one of his canines missing, probably caused by years of fighting. Also, his big nose was crooked. He was Isaac Byfield, the Head of the Hunters.

"I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your home" he spoke, his voice sounding as if someone had decided to play the bass notes in a piano. "As the ones who swore to protect humanity, we will provide you shelter for two days. We expect to see all of you searching for a house tomorrow." he added.

People who just lost their homes started to complain. Two days was not enough to restore their lives to what they were. Alexis was one of those who joined the complaints. The voices only stopped when the man spoke once again.

"Those who can't find, they will be helped by the Hunters. However, we don't have enough space or good conditions for this number of people." he sighed. "With that said, please follow the Hunter who you have been assigned to."

Isis grabbed Krista's left hand when the twins began to follow Alexander and she tried her best to take in her surroundings. They passed through the tall rock fences, the big trees and then they saw the rectangular buildings. They got in and faced one long hallway with 10 doors in each side and a staircase in the middle. It was all white, with no decorations whatsoever and mostly illuminated by candles.

The three girls kept following Alexander to the first floor, where they saw an equal hallway. Their room was the last on the right side. Alexander opened the door and then gave the key to Alexis.

"I'll return at 9 a.m. Your blood results might be ready by that time. Then I'll take the three of you to the city to find a place. Welcome to Cheshire." he then turned around and left the girls, clearly busy.

Alexis opened the door and searched for the light switch. The light source was weak and seemed to blink every three seconds. It was only a lamp secured by a string. The room was tiny, with only a rectangular window that took up half of one wall. Leaning against it was a metal bunk bed. On the opposite side and near the door was a single bed. In the middle was a small dresser with a broken mirror hanging on the wall. The floor was of dark wood and the walls had salmon wallpaper, clearly old, proved by the giant hole that revealed the brick located in the wall in front of the beds.

Krista sneezed. In addition to being worn out, it also seemed that no one else had ever entered that room to clean it.

Alexis placed her hands on her hips and turned to face her sister and Isis, who was closing the door.

"Krista and I'll take the bunk bed." Alexis spoke. "It is time for us to sleep. Our night was turbulent enough."

"I'll take the top one." Krista said, climbing the ladder and sitting on the mattress.

The mattress was hard and extremely uncomfortable just by sitting on it. At least the blankets were warm and the pillow soft. Something would have to make up for everything that happened in a matter of hours.

Alexis placed her backpack on the bottom bed and opened it, taking her sister's pyjamas and handing the pastel blue fabric to the brunette.

"You could have taken your shoes off." the blonde pointed, as she began to slowly undo the laces of her sister's shoes.

"I'm just tired." the brunette spoke. "Thank you."

Alexis then turned her attention to Isis, who was still as a stone. Her lilac nightgown was dirty, which made both twins realize that the girl had nothing of her own to dress. The blonde twin shook her head and remembered that they still had Melanie's bag with them. Melanie was far shorter than Isis but most of her clothes looked baggy on the dark skinned girl. So she searched on the bag and handed what used to be Melanie's nightgown.

"Thank you." Isis spoke, a small and sad smile appearing on her features. "Can I sleep with one of you?" she asked, playing with the hem of the dress.

Krista nodded and Alexis helped the little girl climb to the top bed, handing the pillow of the single bed.

The blonde twin petted Isis hair and then walked towards the light switch to turn it off. She ran to the bunk bed and laid on the mattress, complaining about how stiff it was. Isis laughed and then wished good night, approaching her body to Krista's trying to feel warm.

"Good night." Alexis spoke with a sigh.

What would she do now that also had Isis to protect?

It was 9 a.m. and, as Alexander had said, he was already at the girls' door knocking, only stopping when the brunette twin opened the door, an annoyed expression on her features accompanied with dark circles under her eyes. The girls had woken up as soon as they heard the siren, as it was louder in the Headquarters.

Without any invitation, Alexander entered the room not bothering if they were prepared or not. With his hands on his hips, he checked the room. They were ready and he was admired, albeit a bit confused, to see them trying to dust off the place and cleaning spider webs. He shook his head at the sight of Isis freeing a spider.

"Naeun is checking your results. Until then, you can't leave the Headquarters." the blonde Hunter spoke. "Maybe I can show you around or something. Some places are forbidden but the main library is free for use."

"What are the blood tests for?" Alexis asked, taking a step further.

Her blue eyes were glued on Alexander's green ones. The male showed a quirky smile at the serious blonde twin, he couldn't take her seriously when she had an old small t-shirt on her hands, clearly dusted from the cleaning.

"I want a serious answer!" she demanded, her voice an octave higher. "To check if we have venom isn't enough for me. None of us was bitten and we still had to do that."

"Some things are confidential for a reason. We don't want ordinary people to start a commotion over something as simple as someone turning and not having any signs of potential contamination. Protection is needed." Alexander spoke, slowly marching towards the door and opening it, pointing to the exit with his free arm. "The time we are wasting here means less food for us. We must go now if we want a chance at having breakfast."

Krista was the first to walk through the door. She couldn't deal with Alexis' need to squeeze every answer from the Hunter. The brunette was tired and not in the mood to warn her sister about her behaviour. They had other things to worry about than a Hunter who is only following the protocol of his job. They had two days to search for a place and that's what they should be focusing on.

The girls followed Alexander out of the dorms, through the garden, towards the front door of the Headquarters and finally the mess hall. The decorations were old, keeping the Victorian style on the inside of the building. With big detailed crystal chandeliers, luxurious gold and red coloured rugs, some statues, many engravings of wolves on doors and some of a sun and a moon on what was supposed to be Mr Isaac's office. There were also many detailed portraits of people the girls believed to have had some importance for the Hunters, but one, in particular, stood out.

The twins stopped in front of it.

It was a family portrait. The parents were sitting on a two-seat sofa. The man had curly, dark brown hair, tan skin, greyish-blue eyes and a serious expression. His wife was his opposite, redheaded, cerulean eyes, porcelain skin and a big beautiful smile that could light a room. On her lap was little girl, around three years, sharing the same features. Also posing for the portrait were other four children, standing behind the sofa, showing the biggest smiles they could and perfect copies of their father.

Under the painting was a gold plate, where it was engraved "Sykes Family - first generation". A beige paper had been glued underneath. It had the names of the members of the family written in cursive: Christopher Sykes with his wife Agnes and their six children, Henry, Johna, Stephen, Alice, James and Elena. It also had a sentence, perhaps a description about their past and who they were. Krista was about to project her voice to read what was written.

"Food is scarce. Aren't you hungry?" Alexander asked, getting the attention of the twins.

The blond hunter opened the door to the cafeteria and, in an act of chivalry, let the three girls enter the new room first.

It was nothing special. The tables were made of wood, clearly created by hand and were all arranged in four straight rows. They were all perfectly aligned, about three feet from each row of tables. The number of chairs was also the same, thirty-four chairs for each row. Everything was perfectly organized, from the large table that provided food to the distances established between people or objects.

Accustomed to the confusion that was the orphanage at mealtime, the twins were confused and gaping at the sight of it. Obviously, the Headquarters didn't have near as many children as an orphanage did, but even in the villages, no one seemed to want to obey rules as simple as not overtaking anyone in line. It was strange and even uncomfortable for someone who was used to constant screaming for people to obey.

"Please, stay in line." a male warned, as he walked from the kitchen with an aluminium tray with a few oranges laying there.

It took them about thirty minutes in line to get something edible. They sat next to Alexander, just as he had ordered, which Alexis was against. While they ate calmly, Alexander explained that their results were delayed because doctors and scientists were resting at the moment, which unfortunately was the cause of them and others not being able to leave the Headquarters. Penelope and William didn't take long to join the group.

The fake blonde sat on Alexander's left, intertwining her right arm with his while singing a "good morning" to the hunter. The man couldn't help but roll his eyes; he was in no mood to deal with Penelope's requests for attention.

William sat down next to Isis, showing a lovely smile to the little girl who blushed in response. He waved to the twins and then his gaze remained on a notebook he was carrying as he drank the orange juice from a tall glass.

"What do have we planned for today, Alex?" Penelope questioned, prolonging the last syllable of the hunter's nickname. "Training? Mission? Free time?" she looked at the twins as she spoke.

"You and Will have training." Alexander replied, then bit his toast.

"Ahhhh! I was so hoping to have the day off. I'm so tired of playing hero last night. Saving ungrateful people is tiring. They won't help us anyway, so why even bother?" Penelope spoke.

Penelope's bright brown eyes fell on Alexis. A smile came from her full lips, amused and unaware of the danger. Alexis just stared at her. The blue eyes burned with hatred, only to relax when Krista's delicate touch brought her back to herself.

"Listening to you made my IQ drop to 10." Alexis retorted, rolling her eyes.

Alexander chuckled, hiding his smile behind his coffee mug. Open-mouthed, Penelope ignored Alexis's words and the smile of her team leader. The caramel-skinned girl tried to focus her attention on something else, namely her untouched meal.

Silently, Krista got up from her seat and looked for the place where she would have to put her tray, her sister and Isis following next.

"Where do we put the trays?" Alexis asked Alexander directly. "As the person responsible for us, I think it's up to you to help." she ended with a smile.

"Trainees do that." was the hunter's reply. "Well. Do you want to see the Headquarters?" he questioned.

Alexander didn't even let one of the three girls respond. The blonde just got up and started walking towards the exit, stopping in front of the door with his hands in his pockets and waiting for the girls.

Penelope snorted, muttering how lucky the three were to spend a day with the hunter.

"They are here because they need it, not because they want it." William spoke, averting his hazel eyes from the book in hand. "Now, if you would like to hurry up to go to training, I would appreciate it. Byfield is waiting for us." the redhead added.

Alexander waits impatiently for them, notable for the constant stomping of his foot on the ground. When the three approached, he continued to walk forward, beginning a brief explanation of the rooms on the ground floor. In addition to the kitchen and the cafeteria, they also had, in the left-wing, the training room and the changing rooms. On the right-wing were Head-hunter's office, a small library, the auditorium, and a staircase that led to the first floor, completely forbidden to strangers.

In general, the decorations and furniture had been restored, most of them made of wood that had clearly been painted in shades of white, black, grey, red and gold. There were also some pictures and paintings on the walls, most of them referring to generations of the Sykes family or the wolves and the Sun and Moon.

Krista was curious. The number of times the family was mentioned in the smallest decorations made her want to question Alexander who the family was and if the Hunters had some weird connection with wolves or and adoration to the sun and moon. Something she did when the infamous phrase "any questions" came up.

"Who are the Sykes?" she asked, looking away from one of the paintings, where a blonde man was portrayed. "And what's the thing with the wolves, the sun and the moon?"

"A family that was very important to us. They are no longer mentioned for reasons that cannot be revealed." Alexander replied. "Those engravings are also something the Sykes were into. Ever heard of Norse Mythology? Anyway, Isaac's son banished it. If you talk about it, you're in a cell for a few days without food. I learned it the hard way."

"All of that makes it sound like betrayal to me." Alexis murmured so that only Krista and Isis could hear.

The little girl tilted her head in confusion and only shrugged when she realized that there wasn't going to be an answer.

Alexander in turn just ignored it, not discussing Alexis' words. He just opened the front door to take the girls back to the dorm.

Alexis grabbed Krista's wrist, forcing her sister to stay as close to herself as possible when she realized the curious looks of the unknown hunters in their direction. Krista just left, did not want to start an argument with Alexis in an environment where looks of curiosity fell on them and on many others, who were in their situation. They had lost homes and families, were vulnerable to any offer, even the worst sounded good. And after what happened yesterday, Krista wanted to stay far away from possible threats. The same for Isis. The little girl had been through a lot the night before, lost both guardians and with the twins as the only option. This time it was Krista who acted protectively with someone, placing a hand on one of Isis's shoulders and bringing the girl closer to her.

"Wait!" Naeun's voice came from behind them.


	13. Chapter Twelve

The doctor ran as fast as she could and took Alexander by the wrist. Her dark eyes showed urgency and a certain glow as she faced Alexis, Krista and Isis. Alexander did the same until his attention was diverted to the rush that came from the stairs that led to the first floor. Doctors and scientists asked that no one moved and close the cafeteria doors and any other that gave access to the outside.

Alexander did so by closing the door he had just opened. Isis hugged Krista's waist tight, scared of the commotion.

The same man who had received all the homeless people the previous night left his office, accompanied by a young man in his early twenties. A proud winning smile was evident on their faces.

"Take them to the cells." the black man ordered.

"What?" Alexis's voice was loud and clear. "No!" she exclaimed when she felt her sister's hand being brutally removed from hers.

One of the hunters held her by the waist while she struggled, doing her best to let go. Meanwhile, Krista kept an arm in front of Isis, while the older man slowly approached them. Naeun also did so.

The twin with light brown hair stared at the doctor trying to understand what her actions meant.

"Which one is it?" the pot-bellied man asked.

Naeun raised an index finger in Isis's direction.

The little girl tightened her grip on Krista, trembling with fear as tears fell from her grey eyes.

The man took a step forward, trying to get closer to Isis. Krista placed herself in front of the girl, listening to her sister's desperate cries for her to walk away and try to escape.

"Please. Let's not make the situation any more difficult." the man spoke. "If they do, they will be more easily released. We just want to make sure the results are right and listen to the story."

"What story? What the fuck is going on here?" Alexis asked, headbutting the hunter's jaw that held her.

"Alexis!" the brunette twin called clearly annoyed.

"I'll take care of them." Alexander raised his hand in the air, walking towards Alexis and holding her by the wrists with as much force as possible, just stopped pressing when he heard the blonde hissing.

Alexis looked over her shoulder at the hunter, her blue eyes meeting the hunter's emeralds. Alexander moved closer to the blonde, squeezing her wrists more whenever she tried to struggle.

"Don't make the situation worse than it already is" the hunter whispered towards the blonde twin. "Take the sister and the suspect." he shouted, forcing Alexis to move towards the cells on the first floor.

_________

Three days.

Three days passed since they were placed in those boring cold grey cells, with only a bed and a scheduled time to go to the bathroom.

Alexis didn't know how Isis was. Alexander told her, during one of his visits, that the little girl was fine. Only being tested. To what? The blond hunter could have been more specific and offer her the pleasure of learning more about the details. But, no. He was true to his oath of not telling her, not even about her beloved twin sister and that was a problem. Not knowing how and where she is. If she's freezing, crying or drowning in the memories of her past. If they gave her the same food Alexis received every day or no food at all. If Krista was left unbothered by the Hunters or her vocal cords were bleeding due to her pleas for help. Not knowing how Krista was being treated was killing Alexis on the inside. She was fully alert. Her senses overworking so she could pinpoint something... anything as long it was her sister.

She would look around, her hands on the cold metal bars as her eyes scanned the bland white hallway. She counted the Hunters that watched over her. They were old, clearly in their mid-fifties, with the easiest tasks because the times they could run around fighting were over. One of them could easily fracture his kneecap and the other pass out from exhaustion.

The eyes of one of them fell on the girl. An apologetic smile forming on his lips as he slowly approached Alexis. One of his bronze-coloured hands touching one of the metal bars.

"Hey." the man said.

The blonde female eyed him, her icy-blue eyes never leaving his chocolate ones.

The man shivered at the cold, dead eyes that stared at him. He could swear she could read him. See his past, read info about him and learn about each and every sin he had committed. With the back of his left hand, he dried the sweat that fell from his forehead. He wanted to ask her to look away or even be nice and question if she needed something, but he couldn't.

The door at the end of the white hallway was opened. Steps echoed on Alexis' ears and a familiar scent invaded her nostrils. The earthy smell became something easy for the female to distinguish. Alexander was there.

The blonde shook the metal bars creating an annoying and deafening noise, only stopping when she heard the clink of keys.

"My uncle and his bastard of a son wants to listen to her." Alexander spoke, finally coming in to view.

Alexis blinked twice and then followed his movements. Quick and harsh. His shoulder-length wavy blond hair styled in a man bun. The style lifted his features, revealing more of his strong, high cheekbones and his chiselled chin.

Alexander showed a side smirk at the attention he was getting from the female, even without properly seeing her, he knew her eyes were burning with curiosity.

He opened the cell, his big hand holding Alexis' right upper arm and forcing her to follow his long fast steps until they were out of the white hallway. Once out, he closed the door with a loud bang causing Alexis to slightly jump in fright.

"Was that needed?" she hissed, yanking her arm from his strong grip.

Alexis massaged the sore body part while eyeing the male who could only show her a stupid smirk.

"A little bit of drama doesn't hurt anyone." he said with a chuckle.

She placed her hands on her hips and then turned around ready to find her way out. Alexander stopped her, running until he was again in front of her. He held her shoulders and looked down. His green eyes focused on Alexis' blue ones.

"Isaac wants to listen to you. Isis finished all of her tests and before the answers are revealed he wants to talk with you and your sister." the hunter said. "It's really important." he added, his eyes showing the urgency of the matter.

"I want explanations. Not some excuse." the blonde answered.

They stared at each other for an awfully long period of time. None of them opening their mouths, not even to mutter a "stay away" or sign of discomfort.

Alexander was slowly growing impatient, his grip on Alexis getting stronger by the second until he sighed defeated.

"Isis is the reason our world is doomed." the words left his lips like a whisper.

Alexis widened her eyes. She was more than confused. Isis was just a little girl.

"What the fuck do you mean?" she asked, moving away from him.

"See Isaac. He will explain everything to you." the hunter spoke.

Alexis nodded, finally following the male.

They went down the stairs and turned left towards the right-wing. Alexander opened one of the doors and let the blonde twin into the room.

Alexis looked around. The walls were all white and the floor was made of dark mahogany. A tall wide black wooden bookcase was the first thing one could see when entered the office. Parallel to it was a sofa covered in red velvet with a black desk in front of it. With his face resting on the back of his hands was Isaac, sitting comfortably in his red swivel chair while facing his son who was beside him. His skin was brown, lighter than his father's. His eyes were the same colour as his father's, dark but with a malicious gleam when they fell on the blonde. He was taller than the man and muscular. Without any signs of a potbelly. He was handsome, even she could tell that but something in his aura eliminated any interest. The way he looked at Alexis was disgusting, as if he was thinking of a thousand and one ways on how to have the blonde all to himself.

Something told her that he was used to get away with any behaviour. He was someone to keep away from Krista. It was the only thing Alexis could think of ass he walked over to sit on the red velvet sofa.

Isaac's son walked over to Alexis, sitting next to her on the couch. He still had that smile on his face. A hand came up to Alexis's face, moving a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. The girl held his wrist, watching him bite his lip and then show an amused smile.

"Tyler!" the man behind the desk called for his son. "Behave yourself! It is for these reasons that your cousin is the favourite for the place!"

Tyler turned away from Alexis, his gaze falling on his father. "By whom? Everyone knows that a Stone does not have enough capacity to rule." he shot.

"That is not what his body showed." Isaac said, noticing Alexis's confused expression. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Let's get straight to the point. I already talked to your sister."

The mention of her sister made Alexis, who still had her hand around Tyler's wrist, tighten his wrist more tightly. Her blue eyes showed anger and a morbid glow. To think that he had touched Krista made her blood boil. No one with a wary look like his should even be allowed to look at the angel Krista was. The mere possibility that he had even looked at the brunette twin made Alexis want to tear him apart at that moment.

"You better not have touched my sister." her tone was icy and her grip was growing stronger. "I will have no problem cutting off the hand you used to touch her."

"Alexis. Please, let him go." Isaac asked. "My son was not here when I spoke to your sister."

The blonde relaxed. Abruptly moving her hand away from Tyler's wrist and moving as far away from him as possible on the small sofa. Afterwards, she focused her attention on Isaac.

"When did you first meet Isis?" the man questioned showing a smile. "Your sister answered these same questions. I just want to verify the truth."

Alexis nodded, sitting as straight as possible on the sofa, her senses on high alert as if someone were to enter the office to attack or put her back in that cell.

"A few months ago. The orphanage had been attacked by those creatures. I met her uncle while going to the village to buy and sell supplies for the orphanage. After that night, going to Mr David's house was our only option." the blonde spoke in a calm, low tone.

"What do you know about their family?"

"They had a nephew, Isis's father. He died. About her mother ... just the little they told. The woman didn't want the poor girl and a friend of hers left Isis at Mr David's door. She was a baby. "

Isaac had his eyes fixed on Alexis as he listened carefully to her responses. He sighed, wetted his lower lip with his tongue before continuing. "I see." he murmured. "Have you ever noticed anything strange? Isis' behaviours? Or her uncles'?"

"What did my sister say?" Alexis questioned, clapping her thighs with her palms and then rubbing them in place.

"I'm sorry, but I can't share any information." Isaac said. "Just answer."

Alexis took a deep breath. "The food she received. Isis is a child in development, she should receive the most balanced food that these times allow her to, but she didn't."

"How?" this time it was Tyler who asked.

"They ate more than she did. They said she had a special supplement." Alexis added. "Over time, my sister noticed how weak Isis' aunt was. Pale, sick, often with scratch marks. Things were strange. Mentioning what happened outside the four walls was taboo and they often seemed to hide something from us. "

Isaac got up from the swivel chair. He picked up some papers that were on his desk and approached Alexis.

"What do you know about the Immortals?" he asked.

"Just what you told everyone and some ear-day. They have always existed and some are stronger than others, so they have been divided into different categories. We are their food and they are faster and stronger." Alexis replied. "They are also looking for something."

"We too were looking for the same as them. The child born of an Immortal and a human. It took more than ten long years to visit orphanages that were attacked, villages, even other countries. But finally, after that long time, we found it." Isaac spoke, showing Alexis one of the white sheets. "Do you see this?"

Isaac pointed to the sheet in question. A circular image from a microscopic blood test. Red circles were notorious.

Alexis was confused. Before the attack, she and her sister had a tutor who taught them at home throughout the year. At eight years old, the two knew as much as a student who had been studying for seven or nine years. Their parents knew that they learned faster than other children and made sure they were taught according to their speed of learning. However, the lack of learning tools did not help either and this prevented Alexis from being able to clearly understand what Isaac was showing her.

"This is a human's blood." Isaac explained, showing the next page. Pink diamond-shaped cells were notorious as were some circular cells. "This is a hunter's blood."

"Why do you have diamond-shaped cells in hunter's blood?" she asked.

"It has to do with the history of our creation." Tyler said, stretching his arms on the top of the couch. "It doesn't matter to a human like you." he added.

Another page, another analysis. This time only cells in a violet tone, in the shape of a diamond. Alexis quickly understood what it was about.

"Immortal?" she questioned.

Isaac nodded and showed her the last sheet. Circular red cells along with violet diamond-shaped cells. The latter in greater quantity compared to the former.

Alexis looked up from the sheet to Isaac.

"Isis is the child they are looking for." the man spoke. "Did you know that?"

Alexis shook her head, returning the sheets and starting to walk back and forth.

All that time she and Krista had been in danger of living with a child who had Immortal blood running through her veins. What could Isis have done to them? Alexis should have paid more attention to the details and reactions of David and Olivia. Krista has been at risk for too long, but...

"What are you going to do with her?" Alexis asked. "Isis is a helpless child and has never done anything to anyone. She is not to blame for being born!"

"It will be kept safe by us." Isaac spoke. "It is more than clear that your priority is your sister. So, in exchange for protecting Isis during this time, we will look for a home and a job for you both in the city. After that, you will have to promise that you don't know about any of this and your life will go on normally. " the man finished, raising an eyebrow in question.

Alexis stared at the two men for a long second, leaving all the information she had just received to be perfectly processed.

"As long as Krista is safe." Alexis murmured, returning to sit on the sofa. "But ... I think it would be better to meet with my sister and other hunters. Discuss the issues." the blonde said. "If you tell Krista that we are going to leave Isis here without someone who proves that this is the best thing for the girl, my sister will not authorize it."

Tyler looked at Alexis and then at his father, pointing with his head at the female.

"Alright, but it is your sister's safety that is at stake. I believe she will understand." Isaac spoke. "Tyler. Gather three representatives from each family in the meeting room. I will call the sister of this beautiful and intelligent girl. Do you want to join?"

Alexis nodded and got up to follow the man.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

When the doors of the cold cell were opened, Alexis rushed in and hugged her sister, who was looking at her without showing any emotion. They stayed in that position for a long minute. Alexis with her arms around Krista's neck, while the younger twin remained standing and in the same position. When Alexis released her, she held her sister's hands and looked her straight in the eye. Krista raised an eyebrow in confusion, her blue eyes meeting Isaac at the cell door.

The man cleared his throat and finally approached them, keeping a safe distance from them.

"Kris. We are going to have a meeting with the hunters to discuss our future." Alexis spoke, running a hand through Krista's light brown hair.

"Our future?" Krista questioned. "What about Isis?"

"She is included in the discussion." Alexis showed a weak smile. "Let's go?" she questioned.

The three made their way to the meeting room. It was on the first floor and its decoration was similar to that in Isaac's office. Dark tones and some red and gold details. It had a round dark table with a golden jug with red flowers in the centre. Twelve chairs were around the table. Four of them were different, more detailed and taller. It was obvious that the chairs were divided into four groups. Each group had three chairs, and they had engraved the names of four families: Sykes, Stone, Stain and Byfield.

Isaac asked the twins to sit in one of the Sykes group chairs, meanwhile, he sat in the most detailed chair with the name of the Byfield family.

About ten minutes later, more people started to enter the room. Alexander sat on Alexis' left, taking his place in the Stone family area, along with what can be presumed to be his father and older sister. Then, on the opposite side, was the Stain family. Penelope, with her brother and sister.

Isis arrived later, accompanied by Naeun, Tyler and another woman. The last two sat next to Isaac. Naeun remained standing by the Byfield family and Isis sat in the chair next to Krista.

The hunter's head stood up seconds later.

"Today we are here to discuss a subject that has long been desired by this society." Isaac started, his voice loud and audible. "After long and tiring searches, we finally managed to find the mixed-race child. I am particularly grateful to the Stone family for their tireless efforts." he showed a small smile. "You must be wondering why a meeting in the room where our ancestors drank the blood of our enemy."

Isaac ran his black eyes over the eleven faces before continuing with his words.

"Today, we mark our name in history. In the history of hunters. With the child in our hands, we can finally regain our peace. At this moment, Europe faces a great threat. There are countless requests for help that we have received from countries like France, Germany, the Netherlands and even Denmark against this fight against the creatures of the night. Now we have the power in our hands. Protecting this child has become our most important mission. This girl is our only salvation. " Isaac continued. "We will find out their whereabouts and then take Isis for them to get closer. When the time is right, we attack. With the study done on Isis, we will know more about them and we will win." he sounded convinced and the families appreciated his words. "We should also thank Alexis and her sister Krista for keeping this girl safe. As a thank you, I suggest getting one of the safest houses and a steady job for both." Isaac finished, sitting down at last.

Penelope's brother stood up. He was a perfect copy of his sister, except for his dark hair that he decided to keep instead of dying. He first looked around, his gaze falling on Krista who was clearly against everything they had just said. The brown-haired one had her arms crossed and was biting her lower lip. Alexis had seen the reaction.

"I really appreciate their help. However, I believe it is unfair to other families who have lost everything if they are the only ones to be helped in a difficult situation" he said and sat down.

Alexis raised his arm. "I'm sorry to interrupt but what do you plan to do with Isis concretely?" she questioned.

"You don't have to worry about that. Isis no longer needs two humans like you." Penelope spoke.

Krista snorted, sitting up straight in the high, detailed chair. She wanted to speak and oppose leaving Isis. Krista took a deep breath before speaking in a low voice. "I am not leaving Isis here."

Alexis looked at her sister, surprised to hear about this situation. She knew it would be difficult to convince Krista to leave Isis with the hunters but she didn't expect her to be verbally opposed.

"Is there a reason?" Isaac asked.

"Isis is a child and my sister and I are the only people she has that can be considered family. I don't think it is right to move away from her when she has no one else. Is there any possibility of staying close to Isis?" Krista spoke.

The hunters looked at each other for a long moment. None of them spoke or reacted apart from Tyler, who after a while smiled and stood up.

"Funhouse!" he exclaimed.

"At the...!" Alexander refuted, rising abruptly from his chair, filling the room with the screeching sound it made. "That shouldn't even be considered an option!" he screamed.

"Actually, Alex." the blonde's sister started. "It's the only option. They are not physically fit to be hunters and if they want to stay close to Isis this is the only chance," she said, showing a sad smile. "But it's up to them to decide."

After a long silence, Alexis asked what Funhouse was. She remembers going to one as a child, the few times they left prison wanting their house, but times have changed and she fears it may have gained a new definition.

"It is a place where beautiful girls and boys work to please, serve and entertain hunters." Tyler spoke.

His father sighed and bowed his head in shame. "I tried to end it but it has been active since 1945, the idea of its creation was from the hunter who ran the organization at the time."

The twins looked at each other. Alexis knew it was a terrible idea, just to think about the number of people who would try to approach her sister while they were there. However, the blonde also knew that it was not safe to leave Isis alone with hunters who kill beings like her. Alexis sighed. She didn't know what to say. She knew that she would not subject her sister to such a thing.

"If I declare them my property, no one can approach them." Alexander spoke, his eyes fell on the twins.

"We are not objects." Alexis stood up. "I refuse to be marked as someone's property. What assures me that you won't try to get close to Krista?" the blonde questioned calmly.

Alexander took a deep breath. "As a member of the thirteenth generation of the Stone family, I, Alexander Stone, swear on my title not to allow any hunter or Funhouse member to approach Krista ..." he eyed the brunette twin muttering. "What's your full name?"

"Krista Safiya Daae." the brunette answered.

"... Krista Safiya Daae during her time in Cheshire, home to which hunters originated." the blonde finished and fixed his gaze on Isaac.

The man smiled and declared Alexander's oath an act worthy of a true hunter. Isaac also explained that the oath in the title is something that must be taken seriously because at the slightest slip a hunter will lose his status and will never be able to recover it. The twins understood, and at least Krista thanked him.

"After all this, Alexis, do you agree to join Funhouse?" Isaac questioned.

"For Isis." the blonde said.

"Well then, Alexis and Krista are the new members of Funhouse and will remain under the care of Alexander Stone and his team. For that same reason, the mixed-race child will also be supervised by the same team until further notice." Isaac ended the meeting and waited for the hunters to leave the room, except for Alexander and his son.

Isis hugged Krista's waist. The girl was longing for the twins, she felt sad and abandoned but when she saw that they were willing to sacrifice their well being for her, the little one did not know how to thank the sister. She was happy because she wouldn't be alone with doctors and scientists always around her. However, knowing that the twins were going to be treated like slaves made her feel sad.

"Alexis, Krista. Do you accept that only Alexander's team is allowed to approach you?" Isaac asked.

"Yes." the twins responded in unison.

"Emma will be your guide. She will take care of you." Alexander spoke. "I trust her in the same way as I trust William. I know she'll make sure nothing wrong happens." he added.

The twins, Isis and Alexander followed Tyler to the acclaimed Funhouse. They left the Victorian building, passed through the dorms, and finally saw Funhouse. It was just a two-story building, dark and loaded with windows. There was nothing beautiful. It was possible to see inside. White tables and chairs were spread out, the decor was all done in pastel colours and the interior was poorly lit.

They entered the establishment, being welcomed by a female in her twenties. She was a redhead with hazel eyes. Her face was heart-shaped and her lips were full and red. She wore a white dress and a headband with rabbit ears on her head. She smiled, quickly hugging the first person in front of her. Krista.

"Hello! Hello!" her voice sounded like a hummingbird singing. "I'm Emma." he added, hugging Alexis later.

"Emma. These two are going to join Funhouse today. I believe you will know why." Alexander spoke. "They are owned by my team."

"Okay! They'll need something to identify as your property, then..." Emma clapped her hands. "I'm in charge of showing them around, right?"

"Yes." Alexander replied. "You are the only person to whom I entrust this task." the blonde added. "I need to go to Will and Penelope to discuss some matters." he turned away; his wrist being held by Emma's hands.

The redhead's eyes were shining and Alexander didn't need her to talk to him to understand what she wanted. The blond hunter smiled and before leaving the place said he would warn William.

The redhead nodded and said goodbye to Alexander, finally focusing her attention on the three girls and Tyler.

Emma's eyes fell on Isis. The redhead knelt in front of the girl and ran her hands over the little girl's scalp.

"You have beautiful eyes! What is your name?" she asked.

"Isis." the little one replied with a small smile.

"Did you know that Isis was the Egyptian goddess of life and magic?" Emma said. "A very beautiful name for a girl like you."

"I didn't know that." the little one murmured. "Um ... do you know if their name also has a story?" the blonde questioned pointing to the two sisters.

Emma laughed quietly, standing up and looking at the two sisters. "Who knows?" the redhead questioned. "Maybe I'll have to look in a book."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Well ... Emma. We'll show the Funhouse to the new members. You can discuss the origin of the names later." he passed Emma, quickly being greeted by the other people who were there.

Emma sighed dramatically, apologizing to the three girls.

She started her explanation. The ground floor would be the place where the twins would work since Alexander had marked them as his property, which meant that no one could take them to the first floor. They would only serve at the tables or receive the hunters. When Alexander and his team entered the Funhouse, they should only focus on them.

Then the twins were taken to the small bar where there was a coffee machine and, behind, a shelf with organized drinks. Emma explained that after they took the order from the hunters, they would have to say what the order was at that location and then take it to the correct hunter.

Emma then took them to a room where only members of the Funhouse could enter. There they saw three individuals. Two combing their hair and the other saying what they would have to do.

"Come on girls! We don't have much time!" a male voice exclaimed, adjusting his glove in his hand.

The owner of the voice turned towards the door, the long brown curls moving dramatically with the sudden movement. Black eyes fell on Emma.

"Emma, dear!" exclaimed extending his arms to embrace Emma

"Hello, Elijah!" Emma exclaimed, accepting the hug. "That wig looks great." she added.

Elijah thanked her, finally facing the twins and Isis. With his gloved hand, he stroked his chin as he studied the twins from top to bottom. Elijah got up and walked around the twins, first Alexis.

"Oooh ... Erika! It looks like our Elijah likes what he's seeing." one of the women who was combing her hair says.

"Come on Maya. We're already late." said Erika, forcing Maya to leave the place.

Emma sat down in one of the chairs, Isis accompanied her and quietly they both started talking. Elijah's heels echoed in the small room, as he walked around Alexis. A curious inspection, one might say.

Alexis arched an eyebrow, the male's gaze on her was bothering her. She was hating the sudden attention. The way he looked at her and the sudden touch of his hands on her shoulders sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't feel safe. With one last inspection of Alexis's hair, Elijah pulled away and faced her.

"What's your name, dear?" he questioned, his dark eyes shining with curiosity.

"Alexis." the blonde answered in a questioning tone. "Will you stop checking me? I know I'm average looking. No need to search for imperfections!"

Krista called out for Alexis and held her sister's left wrist. As normal, Krista's touch soothed Alexis. The brown-haired girl awkwardly smiled. "He's just doing what he has to do," she said.

"Imperfections, my dear ?!" Elijah exclaimed. "Do you really think it prevents your natural beauty from being noticeable?" he took a deep breath before taking Alexis' hands. "Yes. You are too thin and short. You have some pimples, but other than that, you have beautiful hair, delicate features, naturally red lips and I believe a beautiful smile." his eyes later fell on Krista who was smiling without showing her teeth. "Both of you. I can sense beauty coming from the two of you."

Elijah brushed Alexis hair, walking around her one last time. "Beauty and strength." Elijah added after a long time of silence. "I know! Dolls! Like the ones the Byfield family keeps."

Emma blinked her eyes and tilted her head a little. "The porcelain dolls?" Elijah nodded. "Nobody ever dressed like that here, Elijah." she stopped braiding Isis's hair to speak. "Do we have dresses that work with that theme?"

Elijah approached one of the wardrobes he had in that room and started searching. "Perhaps it is better for them to sit down. This may take a while. I will gather shoes and accessories!"

The twins did as Elijah had said and approached Emma and Isis. The little one looked at herself in the small hand mirror, a big smile on her face when she saw her hair styled different from her classic braids or loose. Her blonde hair was in a braided headband, showing her grey eyes clearly.

Isis approached Krista, sitting on her lap and starting to play with the small cage on her necklace, as they all waited for Elijah to finish his garments' hunting.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a small project that is also available on Wattpad, however, recently the story appeared on a "doc truyen" website without our consent and so we decided to publish it on another website until it is safe to publish again.


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